Legacy of the Dark Knight
by RockMusicFan80
Summary: We've had Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Batwoman, and Batgirl. Now what? Another bat hero? A bat villain? Or maybe someone else entirely? And is Barbara moving in on Batman? Takes place during The New Batman Adventures.
1. Chapter 1

Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight

Chapter 1: The Old and the New

We've had Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Batwoman, and Batgirl. Now what? Another bat hero? A bat villain? Or maybe someone else entirely? Takes place during _The New Batman Adventures._

I do NOT own Batman or its characters. All credit goes to DC Comics. (Except the new character)

**Warning: Strong language included!**

A boy ran through the alleyways of Gotham City. He quickly leaped a fence and kicked over a trashcan while he ran. Behind him, a gang was closing in on him.  
"Bring him back to the boss alive!" one of them yelled. "His orders are ALIVE!"  
Suddenly, as the boy ran out of the alleyway and onto the street, a black van stopped in front of him.  
"Gah!" he yelled, and stopped. Before he could run another direction, gangsters surrounded him.  
The kid quickly got into battle position. Immediately, the gangsters attacked at once.  
The kid responded by dropping to the ground and kicking the two guys in front. Then he did a spinning back kick to the three guys behind him. But one of the guys grabbed him. He quickly elbowed him in the gut and flipped him over his shoulder.

Then the van door suddenly opened and three men with guns came out and pointed them at him.  
"Damn it…" he said. But before they could take him in, a searing pain suddenly enveloped him.  
"AHHHH!" He yelled before falling to the ground, unconscious. Behind him, a stout man in a tuxedo held his umbrella in one hand and a syringe in the other.  
"Gotcha boy…" the Penguin whispered.

* * *

Meanwhile Batman and Robin were chasing an armored car down the streets of Gotham on the other side of the city.  
In the Batmobile, both heroes were quickly gaining on the car as it sped down the lane.  
"What is it this time? More money?" Tim Drake/Robin asked.  
"Not this time." Batman/Bruce Wayne replied. "In that armored car is Solarium, developed by the world's leading scientists as a new type of energy. That energy is a self-sustaining limitless energy source that can theoretically power all of Gotham forever. But it's unstable as of right now. That energy is like symbiotic, meaning it can bond to a host. A type of Commensalism where one organism benefits and the other is unharmed."  
Robin nodded, barely understanding a word.

Suddenly, 5 more armored cars of the same type appeared on the road and mixed with the real one making it impossible to decipher which car was the real one.  
"Oh no!" Robin cried out.  
"_Damn it…" _Batman thought. _"We have a 2 in 6 chance of guessing the right armored car…they're trying to throw us off…"  
_"Let's go Robin." Batman quickly pressed a button and the hood opened up. Setting the mobile to autopilot, they quickly grappled out of the Batmobile and swung high on the rooftops.  
"Choose one Robin!" was all Batman could say as he landed on top of one.  
"Got it!" he yelled as he landed on another car.  
The armored cars then turned onto separate roads and down different paths.  
Batman quickly took two batarangs out and threw them towards the front wheels.  
Both the tires popped, and sent the armored car smashing into a wall in an alleyway.  
Quickly jumping off the car, he looked through the windows and saw two destroyed robots in the front seat.  
He then forced the back doors open and found stacks and stacks of cardboard angrily gritted his teeth.

_Wrong one.  
_

* * *

_At the same time…_

Robin landed on top of his armored car and jumped on top of the dashboard. The two men in the front panicked while he cut through the windshield with a batarang. But before he could jump through, the driver jerked the car left, sending him flying to the other side, forcing him to grab the mirror for dear life.  
"Alright then…not a good idea…" Robin muttered. He fell to the back of the car and pried the doors open, there he saw a strange contraption and a glowing sphere in the middle of it.

He quickly planted a tracker on it and was about to jump in when he noticed the car shook violently while going over a bridge.  
"Oh nuts!" Robin jumped out of the car and grappled onto a nearby building.  
He quickly radioed Batman:  
"Batman, I've planted a tracker onto the van, get over here!"

* * *

The boy woke up to a bright light. Dazed, he tried to sit up, and realized that he was chained down to a lab table.  
"Wha-?" he struggled against the chains, and quickly came to the realization that he wasn't going anywhere.  
"Don't even bother." A voice rang out. "You're chained tight, not even the Batman can escape from that."  
The boy rolled his eyes. _"Yeah right, like I'm supposed to believe that?"  
_He heard a door open in front of him, and saw 3 men enter the room. Two of them were carrying the canister of Solarium, while the third was twirling his umbrella around.

"Penguin!" he yelled angrily.  
"Ah so you do know who I am!" the Penguin said cheekily. "Good, you'll have to get used to knowing my name, for you will be serving me soon."  
"What?" the boy asked, confused. "Like I'd work for someone like you."  
"Trust me, you will." He replied. "Ready the transfer!"  
"Transfer?" the boy wondered, intimidated.  
"My boy, you will be a revolution to my career!" the Penguin gloated. "With this mind control device, and the Solarium, you will be the ultimate threat to Batman and his lackeys!"  
"Wait, mind control device?" he asked in horror. "That's…not like you."

"You're right, it isn't. Another voice rang out."  
Another man stepped into the room. This time he was taller, wore green and purple with gloves, with a top hat similar to Penguin's.  
"That dumbass from Alice in Wonderland?" the boy muttered.  
"Oh how cute, he does his research." The Mad Hatter chuckled.  
"No, I just watch the news and see Batman kick your ass." The boy smirked.  
"Why you…!" the Mad Hatter growled.  
"Settle down Hatter. It doesn't matter what he says remember?" the Penguin chuckled.  
"Ah you're right my friend!" he replied. "In mere minutes, the transfer will begin, and not only will you be infused with this energy, but you'll follow us and only US!"  
The boy gasped. _"No…!"  
_He struggled against the chains even more, prompting more laughter from the two villains.  
"Start the process!" the Penguin ordered.

* * *

Batman and Robin snuck onto the roof of the old steel mill factory near the river. They looked through and saw a legion of cronies patrolling the area. Four more minions were also guarding a large steel door on the far side of the factory.  
Batman's eyes narrowed. "_There."_

__He opened a hole in the glass pane and dropped a little mine into the room.  
It bounced around and rolled to a stop in the middle of the room.  
All of the minions looked at it for a split second and started to run.  
Too late, the mine exploded and spread out knockout gas, incapacitating everyone in the area.  
After it dissipated, both heroes slipped into the room and snuck to both sides of the steel door.  
"I got this one." Robin whispered. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small spider-like gadget.  
He placed it on the floor and it scuttled under the door. He then took out a screen and turned it on. The spider then looked around, and scuttled into the shadows.  
"The Mad Hatter and Penguin…" Batman muttered.  
"Wait, there's more! Who's that kid tied to a lab table?" Robin wondered.  
They looked and saw the kid struggling against his chains in futility; they also saw a bright blue sphere in a canister connected to tubes, which led to…

Batman's eyes widened. _"Oh no! They're going to fuse that kid with the Solarium!"  
_

* * *

The kid yelled in pain as the energy was injected into his body. Electricity lashed out around the room as the process went through.  
"Yes, Yes!" the Penguin whooped. "Soon, Batman will be no match for him!"  
Suddenly the steel door burst open in a fiery explosion, and Batman and Robin stood there ready to fight."Penguin! Mad Hatter!" Batman yelled.  
"Ah if it isn't Batman and his little squirt!" The Mad Hatter chattered. "Well guess what? You're too late! In a matter of seconds the transfer will be complete, and not only will his strength be beyond your own, but his mind will also be ours to control!"  
"What the? Oh no!" the Penguin cried out.  
"Huh?" The Hatter looked, and saw the mind control device developing cracks in it.  
"No no no! He mustn't destroy that device!" The Penguin yelled.

The kid screamed again, this time in utter rage. And with a burst of energy, he burst out of his chains and shattered the console along with the mind control helmet.  
Both Batman and Robin jumped out of the way, while the explosion knocked everyone else out of the room. A fire started engulfing the factory, and everyone started scampering for the exit.  
"No! The experiment!" the Penguin shouted in desperation.  
"It's not worth your life you fool!" The Mad Hatter ushered him outside.

Batman and Robin looked into the wreckage, and saw the boy emerge slowly from the fire and collapse to the ground.  
"There he his!" Robin pointed.  
Together, both heroes lifted the boy onto their shoulders and escaped the factory as explosions rang into the night, bringing the factory to the ground.

"Argh…" Robin muttered. "They got away."  
"That's not important right now." Batman replied. "We need to get this boy back to the batcave, immediately."  
"Hey, did I miss anything?" a girl's voice rang out.

They looked, and saw Batgirl/Barbara Gordon standing there with both the Mad Hatter and the Penguin tied up, unconscious.

**It's Batman! Ah yes, if you don't know me, I'm a writer for the Digimon Section and the Phoenix Wright section of this site often. But I've decided to try out a Batman fic as well, see how this goes!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Who Are You?

"And you found him in that factory?" Barbara Gordon/Batgirl asked.  
"Yes, it turns out that the Penguin and the Mad Hatter were working together with stealing the Solarium and trying to transfer all the energy into this kid."  
The three heroes were all in the Batcave, while the kid was sleeping in a pod with tubes attached to him filled with water. It has been a day since the factory explosion.  
"Did they succeed?" she asked.  
"I'm not sure yet." Bruce replied. "He's breathing normally, and his heart is still beating just fine. So it seems like it failed. Otherwise there would be some anomaly with him. But I need to run some tests on him."  
"He did this were explosion and burst out of his chains and set the whole place on fire!" Robin added.

Barbara's eyes widened. "Really?"  
"Yeah! It was…weird." Robin said. "It's like he was really angry and just burst out!"  
"Wow. That is weird." Barbara agreed.  
"So anyway, don't you have to be in college today Barbara?" Bruce asked her.  
"Ha! As if!" She replied quickly. "It's summer vacation remember? This is my first day! I get the rest of May, June, July, and August off…won't that be nice?"  
As she was saying that, she sidled next to Batman, and started massaging his shoulders.  
"Not now Barbara…" Bruce replied. "I got work to do…uh, maybe later."  
Barbara sighed in defeat. "Alright alright, I'll head off to train.  
She walked away to get her Batgirl costume. When she was out of earshot, Tim Drake sat next to him.

"She misses you…" he mocked.

Bruce glared at him.  
He quickly stood up. "Hey Barbara! I'll train too!" and ran off.  
Shaking his head, he turned back to his supercomputer. He kept running tests, but couldn't find anything different about the kid's body.  
"Seems like a normal kid, no Solarium, no nothing…"  
"_Maybe the process did fail after all…" Bruce thought. _For an hour, that was his thought process.

He looked away from the computer and saw Tim and Barbara training their moves against each other. Tim aimed a roundhouse kick her head, but she dodged and tried to trip him. But he was fast enough to backflip away.  
Turning back to his findings, he couldn't find anything strange about this kid.  
…Until he looked again at the entire body.

Bruce's eyes widened. _"How did I miss that? What is—?_"

Before he could finish his thoughts, the pod started to shake violently. He stood up quickly and rushed towards the pod. He could see the boy struggling to escape his confines.  
Instinctively, he pushed a button and all the water drained out.

It didn't drain fast enough.

The boy burst out of the pod and landed on all fours. Breathing heavily, he looked at his surroundings.  
"_What the?" the boy wondered. "Where am I?"  
_He kept looking, and saw weapons, supercomputers, and bats. Lots of bats.  
He looked in front of him and saw Bruce standing in front of him.

The boy put two and two together and stood up. His eyes widened as he pointed to him.  
"_Batman!"_ He yelled out.  
Bruce gasped. "_Great…"  
_"Admit it! You're both Bruce Wayne _AND _Batman!"  
Bruce sighed. "Yes, I am."  
Barbara and Tim arrived and saw the kid pointing at Bruce.  
"Oh great…" Tim muttered.  
"Where's Penguin? And the Mad Hatter?" the boy asked.  
"In jail." Barbara said. "We found you unconscious in that factory, so Batman and Robin rescued you."  
The boy looked around. "Oh…thanks."

Bruce gave a nod, while Tim grinned.

"Anytime!" Tim replied excitedly.  
"The real information I want, is who are you?" Bruce asked.  
"Why should I tell you?" the boy asked, alarmed.  
"Would you rather be turned over to the police? Or maybe let the government have their way with you?"  
The boy sighed. "I guess you're right."

The boy stepped forward and offered his hand out.  
"James Davis." He said.  
Bruce took his hand and shook it.  
"You know me." Bruce said. "That's Tim, and Barbara."  
"Hey!" they both exclaimed together. "That was our identi—"  
"I know." Bruce interrupted.  
"Don't worry." James said. "Even if I did turn evil, I wouldn't reveal you two. But whatever."

He looked up to the ceiling. "Wow nice pl—"

Before he could finish his sentence, heat lasers suddenly radiated from his eyes and hit the ceiling, causing debris to fall to the ground.  
"Gah!" James yelled, and jumped out of the way.  
"Hey! Watch it!" Tim dodged.  
"What the?" Bruce said. _"Heat vision? That's Superman's power…"  
_"How did you do that!?" Barbara stammered  
"I don't know!" James said, throwing his hands up in the air. "I was just thinking of it at the time and suddenly it happe—"  
Right then, yellow energy sprang from both his hands and struck the wall, causing an explosion, shaking the place.

"Whoa!" everyone yelled. James stumbled and grabbed onto Bruce's chair.  
When the shaking stopped Bruce walked over to him, annoyed.

"So…does this make me Batboy?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Unanswered

**The Next Night: **

**Time: 7:30 p.m.**

"A fire? In an old abandoned factory?" Commissioner Gordon spoke in the police station.  
"Some wacko explosion near the outskirts of the city." Detective Harvey Bullock clarified. "Apparently a robbery of some energy thing led the Bat-freak to that factory."  
"Anything else?" Gordon asked.  
"Apparently some kid was kidnapped at the same time. Rumors are saying whether this kid is tied to the stolen…whatever it was they stole."  
"You don't know what it is they stole?" Gordon asked, nonplussed.  
"We weren't able to find nothin'." Bullock replied. "Whatever they stole, it disappeared from the scene. The weirdo with the hat and the midget haven't said much. Just been arguing with one another about how something "failed" or whatever."  
Gordon rubbed his chin in thought. _"Disappeared? And two villains found arrested?"  
_He looked outside and saw the bat signal.  
"_Time to summon mr. detective…"  
_

* * *

"So what're you gonna do with me?" James muttered, folding his arms. "I haven't left the batcave at all yet. Are you gonna stick needles into my arms, but tubes through my mouth and test me for germs?"

Batman glared at him.

"I don't want to hear your complaining." He replied sternly. "I don't care how you feel about this. You're a danger to the city right now until I can figure out your abilities."  
James's eyes narrowed. "Oh, I'm a danger to the city? What about you Mr. Vigilante? Swinging around in a bat costume, beating up criminals because you claim to have a 'sense of self-righteousness?' That the Batman is a symbol? I know you've dealt with your haters, but let's be real here. What if a time comes when the people don't want you anymore, and Gotham is still not devoid of criminals?"

"Hey that's enough!" Barbara interrupted, angrily. "Bruce is trying to help his city and its people!"  
"That's right!" Tim agreed. "He wants to save Gotham from the criminals that hurt the innocent!"  
"Really? I know it sounds noble and all, but is that the whole truth? Because if it was, why not dress as a real hero like Superman does? You know, 'helping the innocent'. Because your image makes me wonder if you're trying to get revenge; or is that just your style?

Batman took a step towards James.

"You don't get it." He said darkly. "It's more than just catching criminals. I made a—"  
"A promise to your deceased parents?" James interrupted.  
Barbara and Tim gasped.  
"H-how did you know that!?" Barbara stammered.  
James's eyes widened. "I-I don't know. I think I read Bruce's mind…"  
Bruce's eye twitched. "Enough. I need to find out about the Solarium in your body—"  
"You know what?" James interrupted again. "Maybe I don't want you to find out. Maybe I'm just fine how I am! What gives you the right to study me like some goddamn experiment!?"

He suddenly grabbed his head with one hand.

"_What the?" he thought. "Why am I getting so angry? It's not a big deal…And…a bunch of memories are flying through my head!? None of these are mine!"  
_Flashes of Bruce's childhood suddenly surged into his head. He sees the young Bruce watch his parents murdered in front of him. Then it switches to him meeting Zatanna, to him meeting Andrea Beaumont, and finally becoming Batman  
"Arrghh!" He yelled, grabbing his head with both of his hands. "I can't stop it! Too many memories!"

Batman quickly ran towards him.

"NO DON'T GET ANY CLOSER!" James held his palm out, backing away.  
Suddenly a blast of energy erupted from his hand towards the Dark Knight.  
Instinctively, Batman leaped out of the range of the incoming blast. The energy smashed into the ground and exploded, leaving a small ash pile.  
"AHHH!" He yelled, and then grew silent. His head was down, and his hands fell to their sides.

Both Robin and Batgirl edged closer.  
"James?" Tim asked.  
"Are you alright?" Batgirl asked cautiously.  
Batman suddenly saw James's eyes.  
"Get back! The both of you!" he yelled.  
"Wha—?" Tim cried out before Batgirl yanked him back.

James suddenly looked up at Batman, and his eyes were now visible. His pupils were red, with some of the nerves glowing red also leading to the pupil.  
"I'm done here. Go to hell Batman." James muttered in a voice not his own.

He turned towards the large hangar door that opened when the Batmobile left, and pointed his palm at it. A surge of energy shot out of his hand and blasted a large hole through the door.  
Then unexpectedly, he started to _float_.  
"What the-?" Tim said shocked.  
"He can _fly!?" _Barbara added astonished.

Batman gritted his teeth. _"Perfect, what else can that Solarium do?"  
_James then turned and flew out the blasted hole.  
"Quick! We need to get him back to the Batcave!" Batman yelled while running to the Batwing.  
Following behind him, Barbara and Tim jumped into the dark vehicle behind him as it took off.

* * *

James flew into the night, seeing no moon out, meaning that he'll be invisible in the darkness.  
"Perfect." He said. But then his eyes turned back to normal.  
Blinking his eyes quickly, he looked around and found himself flying in the sky!  
"What the hell!?" he said as he looked at the city below.  
"How did I get here!?" James wondered. But he didn't have time to ponder that question as he suddenly stopped flying and fell out of the sky.  
"AHHHHH!" he shouted, flailing his arms about.  
He reached out and grabbed the side of an apartment building before he could hit the ground. Hoisting himself up, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Phew…" he sighed. "I need to get back home…"

* * *

"Do you see him? Barbara asked.  
"Nothing." Tim replied.  
Batman kept silent, thinking of what James said.

"_Why not dress as a real hero like Superman does? You know, 'helping the innocent'. Because your image makes me wonder if you're trying to get revenge; or is that just your style?"_

It was an unanswered question that Bruce had been unable to answer since he became Batman. Was he really helping the innocent, or just furthering his vengeance?  
"_Old question, still no new answers…"_ Batman thought.

"Bruce?" Barbara asked.  
"What?" he replied.  
"Have you found any new information yet on James?"  
"Already started looking." Tim said.

"No need. James is a college student at Gotham University. 20 years old, he lives in an apartment a few blocks away from the college at East End Drive. His parents divorced when he was 11, and his parents had fought over his custody for so long he refused to go with neither of them. So he stayed with his Uncle and Aunt until he was 18, before attending Gotham University."

Tim's eyes widened. "When did you-?"  
"Not important, we need to find him first." Bruce interrupted.

* * *

**8:00 p.m.**

James opened the door to his apartment, and collapsed on his bed.  
"Ahhh. Man I missed this bed. It's only 8 and I already wanna sleep…" he muttered to himself.  
He sat up and looked at the mirror across from him. He looked pretty normal, even though he wasn't anymore.  
He stood up, and walked up to the mirror.  
"I wonder how I ended up flying in the sky, and escaping the Batcave…"

"_**It was me that guided you."**_

"What the hell!?"  
James jumped back from the mirror. He couldn't what he just saw.  
He slowly crept back to the mirror and stared at it.  
It happened again.

"_**Hello."**_

He gasped. He wasn't seeing things.

His reflection moved by itself.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Double

"Wh-what the hell!?" James staggered back to his bed.  
"_**Easy." **_The voice said. _**"Let me introduce myself. I am you."  
**_"Wha-?" he stuttered. "Wait, no _I _am me! Who are you!?"  
"_**Let me be more specific." **_the voice said. "_**I am the power within you. I am all of the emotions and hidden power you hide inside your heart."  
**_"Emotions? Hidden power? What?" James stammered. "What are you talking about?"  
"_**I am a guide for you." **_The voice said._** "Your little accident created me. I helped you escape.  
**_"Escape?" James wondered. _"I don't think he's talking about the factory explosion…"  
_He suddenly remembered him flying in the sky, not knowing how he got there. He stood up, and turned towards the mirror again.  
"Wait, you broke me out of the batcave?" he asked his reflection.

He saw his reflection nod and fold his arms.

"_**Indeed I have. I don't trust that bat." **_his reflection replied.  
"Bat? You mean Batman?" James asked confused. "Why? What's wrong with him?"  
"_**He put us in a tube and started running tests on us!" **_it barked back. "_**He cannot be trusted, he probably wants to study us like a goddamn lab rat!"  
**_Now James folded his arms. "Now hang on, we just escaped a factory and nearly died. You think he's just gonna treat us like prisoners and study our insides or something?"

"_**Think about it." **_The voice replied._** "We were in the batcave for a whole day and never left. He also called us a 'threat to the city'. Convinced yet?"  
**_James opened his mouth to speak, but then stopped. His reflection did have a point.  
"_Well…maybe Bruce was right." He thought. "I mean we did damage the batcave a bit."  
_"I have an idea." James spoke, changing the subject. "I'm gonna practice how to use this energy."  
"_**Your choice." **_The voice said.  
He turned away from the mirror and was about to go outside, when he stopped and turned back to the mirror.  
"Wait." James said. "What is your name?"  
His reflection stopped, and thought for a moment.

"_**Nero." **_

James folded his arms. "Well alright then."  
He reached for the knob of the door when it suddenly burst open, knocking him into the wall.  
"OW!" he yelled, nursing his head. He looked up and saw Batman glaring at him.  
"How did yo-?" he started replying, but then remembered who he was.  
"Oh yeah, greatest detective in the world huh?" James asked.  
"I heard everything. You're coming back with me to the batcave." He said sternly.  
"_**NO!" **_Nero yelled. _**"You're NOT taking me back!"**_

James suddenly stood up and grabbed his head.  
"Arrrghh!" He yelled out. "What…is…going on!?"  
He suddenly looked up at Batman, eyes red again.  
"_**Get…back…NOW!" **_Nero's voice yelled.  
He raised his arms and aimed them at Batman. Two blasts of energy radiated out of them and struck batman in the chest.  
"Arrgh!" He yelled, sending him flying into the mirror, shattering it.  
James then quickly smashed his window and flew out at an intense speed.  
Batman staggered to his feet, and radioed the Batwing.  
"Robin, Batgirl, he's fleeing again. Follow him!"

* * *

Nero possessed James flew high into the air and started looking for a place to hide.  
"_**If I can just lay lo—AHHH!"  
**_Before he could finish his sentence, he clutched his head in pain.  
"What are you doing!?" He yelled out.  
"Give me back my body NOW!" James's voice pierced through.  
James's eyes turned hazel again, and he landed on a nearby rooftop.  
"Urrghh…" He muttered groggily. "Stop possessing my body!"  
"_**FOOL!" Nero yelled, "I had to! Otherwise we would've been captured by the Bat!"  
**_"Enough of this 'I hate Batman' bullshit!" James shouted. "Look, he saved us from certain death at the factory. Without him, we wouldn't even BE here!"  
"_**But he called us a 'THREAT TO THE CITY!'" **_Nero protested.  
"He's right." James replied sulkily.  
"_**WHAT!?" **_Nero replied, shocked.  
"He's right. I don't have control of this energy yet." He said. "But you seem to have a clear understanding of this. I was going to ask you to teach me, however I figured out pretty quickly that you can't be trusted."  
"_**Why you-!"  
**_"I'm not done." James interrupted. "You were the one that twisted my anger to direct at Batman earlier in the batcave. You didn't save me, you broke out on your own!"

"_**ENOUGH!"  
**_James suddenly felt a searing pain in his head.  
"AAHH!" he yelled, clutching his head in pain.  
He quickly realized what Nero was trying to do.  
"You…will…not…possess…me…AGAIN!" James shouted.  
As quick as it came, the pain left him.  
Right then, the Batwing floated over him.  
"Batman!" James yelled.  
"No it's us!" Batgirl and Robin called out. "Look up into the sky!"  
James looked up, and saw the Bat-signal.  
"Ohh…" he nodded.  
The Batwing floated next to him, enabling James to walk up to the air vehicle and tap the window.  
"Don't worry, I'll come back. I need to tell Batman something." James said. "Please, I won't hurt you."  
The hatch door opened, and James jumped inside.  
"Thanks guys." He said. "Look, a few minutes ago…"

* * *

"And so then he tried to take over me again, but somehow I managed to stop him." James finished.  
"Whoa…" Tim said. "Must've been a trip."  
"I know!" Barbara agreed. "How are you feeling?"  
"Better now, but I'm worried." James replied. "This voice in my head, this presence, I don't like it. I thought Nero would be nicer but…maybe I shouldn't have thought that considering his name."  
"Nero?" Tim asked.  
"That's what it called itself." James answered. "I guess it really likes Roman history."  
"That's besides the point James." Barbara said. "Whatever this thing is, it'll try to takeover your body."  
"That's the thing though. It hasn't spoken up since I got here…wait where's Batman?"  
"Bat-signal remember?" Tim said.

"I want to help him." James replied.  
"Why?" Barbara asked.  
"I harmed him when he was at my apartment. I want to fight with him to apologize. I feel very guilty for hurting him. I know he was just trying to help but I didn't let him…" James said unhappily.  
"Well alright then! Let's all help Batman!" Tim squeaked.  
"Wait Tim." Barbara said. "James can't just go out there and fight. He doesn't have a costume if he fights the way he is, they'll probably hurt his family."  
James sighed, holding his hand out. "What do you suggest? You expect me to just make a costume out of thin air?"

Suddenly, a mask appeared in his hand.

"What the!?" Tim and Barbara gasped.  
"Whoa!" James gasped, and looked at the mask.  
"H-how did you do that!?" Tim stuttered. "It just appeared out of nowhere!"  
"I don't know! I was just thinking of a mask and stuff and it appeared!" James retaliated, surprised.  
"So you're saying your thoughts can become reality?" Barbara wondered.  
"No…" James said. "I don't think it's that simple. If it were, then a hundred million things would be appearing in this room at once. It must be more complex than that."

"Well you got the mask. Now just a suit would do just fine." Tim suggested.  
"We don't have time for that, I'll just steal a Halloween costume on the way there." James said.  
"James!" Barbara scolded. "You can't just steal from somewhere!"  
The 20 year old held his hands up on defense. "Hey hang on, I was just kidding. I'll pay for it I swear, or I'll just steal it then return it, how about that?"

She glared at him menacingly.

"Hey hey come on I was kidding there are also!" James replied quickly.  
She shook her head and walked towards the Batwing, Tim in tow.

James scratched his head. _"Women…"_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Annoying Plants are Annoying.

The Batwing flew stealthily in the night sky, the three kids inside.  
James looked at the costume he had 'borrowed.' It was a yellow and black costume with an octagon in the middle of the costume. A yellow line ran through the middle of the chest area. Yellow lines ran through the side of the leg areas. Long gloves were on both of his hands, with some boots for shoes. The mask he somehow 'conjured up' covered his eyes and his nose.  
He had to admit, it looked decent.  
"I'm liking this getup." James spoke. "Black and yellow, sweet."  
"Looks pretty tight!" Robin agreed.  
"Which he won't be keeping of course." Batgirl said, nonplussed.  
James rolled his eyes, which was pointless since no one could see it.

"Batman." Batgirl radioed. "Status report!"  
Only static could be heard. She grew worried.  
"Batman might be in trouble. He hasn't reported in in hours." Batgirl said. "I'm tracking his location…"  
"Ah man, I hope he leaves a few mooks for me!" Tim said, excitedly.  
"I hope he's ok…" James wondered.  
"I got his location!" Batgirl interrupted excitedly. "He's located…in the Botanical Gardens…"  
"Poison Ivy!" Tim finished her thought process.  
"Who?" James asked curiously.  
"A woman who loves plants so much she wants to rule Gotham with her plants and eliminate any people that kill her 'babies.'" Batgirl explained.

"Really?" James wondered. "That's…interesting."  
"Trust me, there are others. Then again you already knew that?" Tim suggested.  
James nodded. "Indeed I do."

* * *

The batwing landed in a dark alley so it can stay hidden from sight. The three of them quickly snuck into the gardens and made their way through the small forest. Soon they could see a clearing. Hiding behind a metal structure, the three kids peered over.  
They could see Batman hanging upside down over a lake of weird plants. Pamela Aisley/Poison Ivy stood in front of him.  
"Do you like them?" Poison Ivy asked innocently. "I'm sure they'll like you…"  
"Don't count on that." Batman retorted.  
"Ah a feisty one you have been Batman…" Ivy said. "That made you irresistible to say the least. You know, if we were on the same side…I might've wanted to date you…"  
Robin noticed that Batgirl's fists were shaking in rage.  
James was unimpressed. _"Yeah right, probably an ugly one anyway…"_

But then Poison Ivy turned around, and he caught a glimpse of her face and her curves...  
"Whoa…" he whispered. "She's so sexy…"  
That earned him a punch in the ribs from Batgirl.  
"Ow!" he muttered angrily. "What?"  
"Now Batman…maybe a nice parting gift for you…" Poison Ivy said seductively.  
She took his upside down face and leaned in for a kiss…  
Batgirl suddenly screamed angrily and leaped from her hiding spot, diving at Ivy.  
She quickly turned around, caught off guard by the angry girl diving towards her.  
Batgirl tackled her to the ground and started scratching at her face.  
"Do…Not…Ever…Get…That…Close…To…Batman…AGAIN!" she yelled in fury.  
Both Robin and James's eyes widened.  
"Cat fight!" James yelled out.

Ivy quickly kicked her off and dove at her. James, Robin, and even Batman were watching in awe at the kicking and screaming catfight between the two females.  
"What the heck is going on?" Robin asked, confused.  
"Robin, when you're older," James said. "This is going to be one of the most intense things you will ever see."  
They then noticed Batman was still hanging over the lake, and the plants had started growing.  
"Shoot! Robin let's get Batman!" James yelled.  
"Uhh..right!" he followed.  
The two boys leaped forward towards the Dark Knight. Robin threw two Batarangs and cut the vines holding him. Then James caught him while he was falling and retreated to dry land.

"Are you alright Batman?" James whispered.  
"James?" he asked. "What're you doing here?"  
"I'm here to help you fight!" James said proudly.  
"Well…" Robin looked towards the two girls.  
"Oh…that." James said. "Well who would've thought that would happen?"  
But suddenly, the lake started to shake. Waves were producing on the surface, and three giant moss monsters emerged.  
"Whoa!" Robin yelled out.  
Quickly freeing Batman, the three of them dove for a giant. Batman threw two Batarangs and sliced off the mossy arms of his giant. He then ran towards it and tackled it to the ground.  
Robin threw a gadget that tied the moss's legs together making it fall over. He then used his grappling hook and pulled down one of the lights on top of it, electrocuting it. But James realized quickly that he didn't know how to use his newfound powers.  
"Oh boy…" he muttered. "How did Nero possess me and do it?"  
The moss giant raised his arm and slammed in the ground, knocking James into a wall.  
"OOF!" he yelled. "Grrr…."  
He decided to guess.  
He held his arms out and thought of himself shooting out energy from his arms.

It worked.

Beams of energy suddenly shot out from both his arms and struck the monster's chest. The giant emitted a loud roar and exploded, sending wet moss everywhere.  
"Yuck!" James cried out.  
"NO! MY BABIES!" Poison Ivy yelled out. She kicked Batgirl away and ran towards James, mini-crossbow aimed at him.  
Batgirl took out her grappling hook and grappled Ivy's legs, causing her to fall and slam her face into the ground.  
"You're…not…finished…with…ME YET!" She yelled. She yanked the hook and Ivy came right back to her.  
By then, the other two moss giants were dead and Batman with Robin had joined James in watching in awe the catfight right in front of them.  
Batgirl pulled Ivy's hair, while Ivy was biting at her arms.

It went back and forth until Batgirl finally subdued her with handcuffs. She then turned to the three boys/men. They could see she really fought. Her chest area was ripped, along with both her pants. She was holding one of her boots, and her lips were bloody and swollen.

They then looked past her and at Poison Ivy, who was just in a mess as she was. Her hair was messy in a bunch of places, while she was also missing one of her boots. Her costume had a large rip in it in the chest area, along with her arms had cuts and bruises all over it.  
James walked over to Ivy.  
"You know, you still look kinda cute." He said.  
She huffed in disgust.  
"Well you don't have to be rude…" James muttered.  
Walking back to the group, Batman spoke.  
"What are you doing here Batboy?" Batman asked.  
"W-what? Batboy!?" James stammered.  
Tim nudged him, as if to say "_just go with it for now, Ivy's still in earshot."  
_"Oh…well I wanted to help you! I'll explain everything when we're done here!" James glared.

* * *

Soon after the police took Ivy away, the 4 of them made their way back to the Batcave.  
"Barbara that was the most amazing, yet scary thing I have ever seen." James complimented.  
She giggled. "Sorry, don't know what came over me…"  
Tim shrugged. "Either way, you beat up Poison Ivy! That's a good day!"  
James nodded. "Yeah it was. But man, you were practically ripping her hair out. Biting, man it was incredible!"  
Barbara's smile grew bigger. "Thanks guys."  
"By the way," James turned to Batman. "I gotta tell you what happened when I fled."  
"What happened?" Bruce asked sternly.  
"I was possessed by something named 'Nero.'" James explained. "When you came into my apartment, Nero reacted violently. So he took over my body and flew away."  
"That explains the red eyes and the anger." Barbara said.  
He nodded. "When I realized what he was doing, I took back control of my body and refused to give him any control. He seems to be in remission right now."  
Bruce nodded. "Alright. Have you tried using any of your other powers besides what we saw?"

James shook his head. "Not yet. I'll try now."

James closed his eyes. _"Alright, like last time. Think it. I'm going to fly…right now!"  
_The three of them saw James slowly lift off the ground. He was floating.  
"James look!" Barbara called.  
He opened his eyes, and saw that he was floating.  
"Sweet! It worked!" He said excitedly. "Now I'll try to fly around the room!"  
He then lifted off into the air and explored the cave.  
"This is sweet!" he called from up above. "Maybe when I get outside I can fly at high speeds!"  
"Come back James." Bruce said. "We still need a better disguise for you. The costume you returned isn't going to cut it. You need an original one."  
"You're going to help me make a costume all my own?" James asked, astonished.  
He nodded. "I don't say this often…but thanks, for helping me."

He bowed. "Your welcome!"  
"Now I'm going to start looking up schematics for your new suit." Bruce said while walking to the supercomputer.  
"Don't forget!" Tim added. "We still need to find you a superhero name!"  
"Ah that's right!" Barbara said. "One great one!"  
"Oh I know!" Tim suggested. "How about 'Solar Man, you know, the Solarium?"  
He shook his head. "Nah too generic."  
"Psycho boy?" Barbara wondered.  
"Too weird." James said.  
"How about Batboy?" Tim asked.  
"Nah, stupid name; also kind of a stale name. Cliché much."

"How about Valiant Warrior?" Bruce called out.

Everyone froze. James looked at Bruce, who was not looking.  
"Valiant…warrior…" he repeated. "Didn't know you were into superhero names."  
"It comes to me from time to time." He said without looking back.  
"I like it!" Tim approved.  
"So do I!" Barbara agreed.  
"Valiant Warrior is it?" James said. "Well let's keep the name but shorten it to 'Valiant' in battle so it wouldn't be like spelling a novel. What do you think?"  
Both kids nodded, enabling James to nod back.  
"Alright! Valiant Warrior it is!" James clapped his hands together. "So what do you have in mind for a costume Bruce?"

He swiveled his chair around. "Take a look."

James walked next to him and looked at the screen. A grin appeared on his face.

"Genius." He said.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Flirty Much?

**NOTE: Any songs used in this chapter I DO NOT OWN**

**Next Evening  
Time: 6:30 p.m.**

Bruce walked to his grandfather clock and opened it, revealing the secret entrance to the Batcave. Walking downstairs, he was about to turn his chair around with the supercomputer when it turned by itself.  
Barbara was sitting there, wearing a coy black, sparkly dress and posing sexily on his chair in front of him.  
"Hello Bruce…" She said coyly.  
He gasped. "B-Barbara! What are you doing here?"  
She jumped off the chair and ran a finger down his chest. "Well…since everyone is practically in Arkham…and Nightwing is out patrolling the city today…I was wondering maybe we could take a break and…paint the town red?"

He never realized how beautiful Barbara had become since she started fighting as Batgirl. She was definitely acting more mature now.  
"Barbara…" Bruce started. "I'm older than you are."  
"But by how much?" She pouted innocently. "Besides, we're both adults. Age is just a number defined by just time on this earth. It doesn't determine maturity right?

She had him there. But she was still in college and he…was in his 30s.  
But today that had become normal. In fact, he had heard the ages of a boyfriend and girlfriend be even more disproportionate than his.  
No, mustn't think of that now.  
Plus, he was enthralled by her charm. She was indeed beautiful, so beautiful he was having trouble keeping composure.  
And she was right, with Nightwing out in the city, and all of the main villains in Arkham, he had nothing to do tonight. Even a patrol was unneeded.

"Come on Bruuuce…" she whispered seductively in his ear.

He agreed. "Alright Barbara, let's go."  
She squeaked in delight. Barbara grabbed Bruce's hand and yanked him to the exit.  
"But one thing." Barbara added.  
"Huh?" Bruce asked.

"Just to make sure that you take your day off…"

* * *

"Bleh, do I really have to be here today?" James muttered.  
"Yes you do." Barbara said. "I want Bruce to have a good time WITHOUT any crime fighting tonight! So if anything happens YOU'RE going to handle it!"  
He shrugged, "Alright alright. But I get to go wherever I want in this so called 'club.'"  
They walked into the entrance to the Iceberg Lounge, looking the same as he saw it last time. (Mystery of the Batwoman)  
"Why hello Mr. Wayne!" A man greeted.

Bruce nodded. "Good evening."  
"The waitresses will guide you to your seats." He said.

Despite The Penguin being in jail, the Iceberg Lounge had a replacement manager in cases of emergency. Since the big crime of the failed theft on the cruise ship (Mystery of the Batwoman), the club has been more open to everyone unlike just mobsters and gangs. It has gotten safer since, but some still are still hesitant to go.  
A woman was singing in the microphone with a few musicians behind her.  
Lo and behold, it was the same woman from last time.

_Don't tell me that you don't like  
anything about me  
I've seen it in your eyes  
that look, you think that I don't notice  
Don't hide what you feel inside  
Baby, I can feel the same  
What you do is up to you  
So maybe you should try again  
or maybe you just fade away, yeah_

Betcha never, betcha never  
Betcha never thought we'd get this far...

James's eyes widened. "Whoa…she's hot…"  
Soon they made it to their seats. James got the hint and left to see if anyone was free to dance.  
"The Iceberg Lounge?" Bruce wondered. "You do remember what happened—"  
"Yes I do." Barbara replied. "But this is different, it's now a real club, and many people come here. Plus I hear the food is fantastic. But enough about the club…"  
She ended the sentence with a coy tone, which make Bruce shiver a little.

_"She's unexpectedly good at this…" he thought. "Didn't think she'd be this good…"_

He looked around, and found that James was already gone.  
_"Where did he go?" He wondered._

* * *

"Ah so your name is Cherie?" James asked.  
"Why yes it is." She replied.  
"You sing very well…" He complimented.  
"Why thank you." She giggled. "What is your name?"  
"James Davis." He said. "So…can you dance?"  
"Well…" she started. "There is a DJ coming to take over…"  
"So that's a yes?" James asked hopefully.  
She smiled.

* * *

"Oooh I love this song!" Barbara grabbed Bruce's hand and yanked him onto the dance floor.  
"Whoa!" he said, following her.  
They got on the floor and started dancing to the modern pop. Bruce had to admit, Barbara was very good at dancing.

_You don't get them girls loose loose  
You don't get the world loose loose  
You don't get money move move  
But I do I do_

_I said, y'all having a good time out there_

Yeah, yeah, que no pare la fiesta  
Don't stop the party  
Yeah, yeah, que no pare la fiesta  
Don't stop the party

"Hey is that James?" Barbara pointed past Bruce's shoulder.  
He turned, and saw James dancing with the singer from earlier.  
Bruce couldn't help but chuckle.  
"He reminds me of myself." He said.  
Barbara laughed, and they danced.  
He had to admit, he was enjoying his time with Barbara more and more.

* * *

Nightwing swung across the city with Robin in tow.  
"So what brings you out tonight?" Robin asked.  
"See if Batman couldn't handle Gotham on his own." Nightwing said sarcastically. "Plus I wanted to get out tonight."  
Robin chuckled. "Well…"  
He suddenly froze. He remembered that Dick used to date Barbara. If he found out that Bruce was taking Barbara out…  
_"Uh oh!" He panicked. "I didn't think of that!"_

"Tim? You ok?" Nightwing asked.  
He shook his head quickly.  
"Yeah yeah I'm fine!" he said. "Just thinking."  
He shrugged. "By the way where is Batman? You think you'd see him by now…"  
"He's sick!" he said quickly. "Alfred is taking care of him and that's why I'm here!"  
"Oh…" Nightwing replied. "Well even so he'd normally still be out here, stubborn that he is…"  
"Well Alfred had to practically tie him to the bed to keep him there…" He laughed nervously. He says he doesn't want any visitors so he should be fine by tomorrow…"

Nightwing chuckled. "Sounds like Alfred. Well alright, then where's—"  
He suddenly stopped talking, eyes rooted somewhere.  
"Nightwing?" Robin asked.  
He pointed. "Look, our old cat friend…"  
Robin turned, and saw Catwoman emerging from a museum, holding a priceless cat artifact.  
_"For once, thank you for stopping him." He thought  
_"Another day, another cat burglary…" Nightwing muttered.  
Robin nodded, and the two of them leaped off the building and swung towards her…

Bruce and Barbara watched the circle as James did a few tricky spin moves, earning some applause from the crowd, then they resumed dancing together. Eventually, the music slowed down, and Barbara fell into his arms.  
She peered into his eyes, and laid her head on Bruce's chest, loving every moment.

_Look into my eyes, you will see  
What you mean to me  
Search your heart, search your soul  
And when you find me there you'll search no more_

_"This song is really fitting the mood…_" Bruce thought. He looked down at Barbara, still lying her head on his chest. __

Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for  
You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for  
You know it's true  
Everything I do, I do it for you

Barbara felt invigorated. It was like falling into one of her dreams. Her 'clean' dreams so to speak…others…not to be known by anyone else except herself.

"_This just feels so right…" she thought. "Oh Bruce…"_

_Oh, you can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for  
I can't help it, there's nothin' I want more  
Yeah, I would fight for you, I'd lie for you  
Walk the wire for you, yeah I'd die for you…_

The song paused, enabling Barbara and Bruce to look into each other's eyes. For the first time since his love for Andrea (Mask of the Phantasm), he felt happy. He smiled at her, with a wide smile greeting him back.

_You know it's true  
Everything I do, oh, I do it for you…_

All doubts were gone from Bruce's mind. He was falling for Barbara Gordon; The commissioner's daughter; Batgirl, the one who fought with him for so long…  
Almost coincidentally, they leaned in for the kiss…closer and closer they got, until they could practically see themselves in each other's eyes.  
Both of them closed their eyes, and readied for the kiss…

**BOOM!**

A fraction of the wall burst open, and debris rained down around them.  
Quickly snapping out of it, both of them looked around. A bunch of goons emerged from the wall, running around with guns and bags.  
Screams rang throughout the club, and people ran for the exits.  
Bruce and Barbara looked, and saw a familiar face…

"Hello Brucey!" the voice giggled. "And a girlfriend! How cute!"  
Bruce clenched his teeth.

"Joker!"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: New Hero Or Villain In Town?

"Well you do remember me!" the Joker laughed shrilly. "I'm so honored!"  
"Well if it isn't rich boy!" Harley Quinn emerged behind him. "How about it Mr. J, let's steal his credit cards and go on a shopping spree like last time!"  
"Last time?" Joker looked at her funny. "I wasn't there, what did you do?"  
Quinn gasped. "Oh yeah…heh heh…me and the Poison Ivy were—"  
She was cut off by the sound of Joker's hand slapping Quinn's face.  
"What did I tell you about that woman!?" He asked angrily. I told you not to get involved with her again!"  
"S-sorry Mr. J…" she whimpered.  
He sighed. "Ah good help so hard to come by these days…"

Suddenly, a blast of yellow energy came towards him.  
"W-what the!?" both Joker and Harley jumped out of the way of the incoming blast. The energy struck the ground and exploded violently.  
"That's enough Joker!" James's voice rang out.  
Joker stood up and growled. "Who was that!?"  
"Up here moron." James called.

Everyone looked up, and saw James standing on a high catwalk in his new costume. His Valiant costume was mostly black with gold gilded around his arms and legs. A gold "V" went from his left shoulder, down to his belt, and back up to his right shoulder. A utility belt was visible too. He wore black boots, and black with gold tinted gloves. His black mask covered his eyes and nose.

"You can call me the Valiant Warrior." Valiant said. "Valiant for short."  
"Oh how exciting!" The Joker laughed. "Another sheriff in town huh? Ha ha ha ha!"  
But Valiant laughed too, enabling Joker to glare at him.  
"What are YOU laughing for?" he asked.  
"Because I already know you don't stand a chance against me." Valiant replied.  
"Why you insolent brat!" He barked.  
"You don't insult Mr. J like that!" Harley yelled. She took out her bazooka and fired at Valiant.  
He jumped from the catwalk and flew at high speed, dodging the missile and turned towards Joker and Harley.  
"What? He can fly too?!" Harley said in disbelief.

But the Joker smiled, and took out a grenade. He waited for Valiant to get closer, and was about to pull the pin from the grenade and throw it when…  
A batarang flew out of nowhere and struck his hand, knocking the Joker grenade away.  
"OW!" he groaned. Before he got tackled, he saw Batman and Batgirl swing into action.  
Valiant grabbed Joker and punched him into the wall. But Harley managed to get another missile off, hitting him square in the chest and knocking him hard into the wall. He fell to the ground, covered up in rubble.  
"Valiant!" Batman yelled.  
"Direct hit Mr. J! He ain't comin' back up!" Harley whooped.  
"Good good!" Joker applauded. "Now for you Batsy!"  
But before he could do anything else, the pile of rubble suddenly exploded, and Valiant emerged, brimming with anger.  
"You wanna try that again, Joker!?" Valiant shouted angrily, eyes flashing red.  
Batgirl gasped. _"Oh no! Is he possessed again!?"_

Valiant put both of his hands together, and started charging up a tremendous surge of energy.  
Batman quickly realized something was wrong.  
"Valiant stop!" he yelled. "That's enough!"  
"Shut up Batman!" Valiant shot back. "He crossed me he needs to be destroyed!"  
**_"That's right James…" Nero's voice echoed in his mind. "FINISH HIM!"_**

"NO!"

The blast was so ferocious the energy turned red instead of his usual yellow.  
Batgirl was forced to swing in snag Harley out of the way, while Batman grabbed Joker and grappled to the ceiling.  
Barely clipping past the blast, it triggered an enormous explosion that started a huge fire.  
"VALIANT!" Batman yelled.  
Suddenly, James's eyes turned hazel again. He looked around, and saw the Iceberg Lounge on fire.  
"W-what!?" Valiant looked around, shocked at the carnage he just inflicted.  
_"Oh no!" James thought in horror. "I did this! I…nearly killed everyone…"_

He sank to his knees. "No….NO!"  
Valiant banged his hands on the ground.  
_"I failed to contain it…" He thought sadly. "There's only one thing I can do now…"  
_"HELP!" a voice yelled out.  
Valiant looked around, and saw Cherie under a pile of rubble.  
He quickly ran over to her, while looking at Batman and Batgirl.  
"Get out of here!" Valiant yelled. "I'll handle this!"

"But Valiant-!" Batgirl started to protest.  
"No! Go now!" he interrupted.  
Carrying the unconscious Joker and Harley, Batman and Batgirl escaped through the damaged wall.  
Quickly throwing the rubble off, he picked her up bridal style and flew out of the fire. He placed her down near a police car that had arrived.  
"Stay here." Valiant said.  
She nodded, and he dove back into the flames.  
Going in the middle of the ruins, he closed his eyes.

_"Concentrate…use the water in the club and douse the flames…"  
_He thought hard and focused his energies. He raised his hands into the air, causing the water to rise. He then brought his hands down, sending the water splashing onto the flames, and putting them out.  
He then clapped his hands together.  
_"I just want to fix this mess…" He thought. "Repair everything…"  
_Focusing, he raised his hands again, and the ashes disappeared. Then the ruins of the club started coming back together one by one. Soon, the wall was repaired, and the rest of the club was soon stable. It wasn't completely fixed, but most of the damage was gone.  
Batman couldn't believe his eyes. The Iceberg Lounge was fixing itself from the _inside_. Yet he thought about this for a moment, and came to a quick conclusion:

_"James…"_

Batgirl seemed to have gotten the same idea, for she looked around for him. She then caught a glimpse of black and yellow on a rooftop.  
"Batman! Over there!" she pointed.  
He looked, and saw James standing on a higher rooftop overlooking the lounge. He then made eye contact with him. They stared for about a minute, and then Batman nodded. Valiant/James nodded back, and he flew into the night.  
A few minutes later Nightwing and Robin showed up. Robin gasped, as Batman and Batgirl were in their costumes, killing his lie. Nightwing said nothing, for he knew Tim was lying.

"Guys!" Robin called. "What happened here?"  
"A big fight at the Iceberg Lounge." Batgirl said.  
"Joker." Batman said.  
"He attacked a club?" Nightwing asked. "Why? There's no money or jewels there to be stolen."  
"We don't know yet." Batman replied. "We're going to look into it.  
Batgirl suddenly realized the same thing Tim realized earlier.  
_"Oh no!" Batgirl thought, horrified. "If we start dating…Dick isn't gonna take it well…"_

"Where's Valiant?" Robin asked.  
"Valiant?" Nightwing wondered. "What, another superhero?"  
"S-sort of…"Batgirl started. "You see…he's gone now."  
"W-what?" Tim stuttered, surprised. "What happened?"  
"He lost control again." Batman said. "Set the club on fire."  
"W-WHAT!?" Tim yelled in disbelief. "But…the club isn't on fire now…"

"Valiant put the fire out and tried to fix the place as best as he could." Batgirl answered. "He made eye contact with Batman and—"  
"Wait, there really is another crime fighter on the streets?" Nightwing asked.  
"Valiant has left to figure out himself and who he is." Batman said. "He still doesn't know himself completely. He still has a dysfunctional family that needs to be fixed, and he may still have a problem containing that rage."  
"Ohhhh…" Robin and Batgirl said.  
"What happened to you too?" Batman asked.  
"Catwoman again." Robin said nervously. "Same old same old. Cat jewelry, caught by us, escaped police capture, rinse and repeat."  
"Figures." Batgirl said.  
"I'm still a bit confused about this "Valiant" person you're telling me about…" Nightwing stated. "I want to know more."  
"You will." Batman said. "You may run into him tonight or tomorrow. You will eventually."

Nightwing nodded. He turned and left.  
"Let's go." Batman said.  
"What about Vali—James?" Robin asked.  
"Let him have his alone time." Batman said. "I know how that feels. And I'm pretty sure you know how that feels too Tim."

"I rather not remember."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Understanding

Valiant Warrior/James flew into the night, pondering the night's events.  
"_What happened back there?" he thought fearfully. "I had control of my body, yet I was enraged with power. Plus I heard Nero's voice in my head again…"  
_He couldn't understand what happened. Did he let his anger control him? Or did Nero control him?  
He nestled on top of a large building overlooking the square.  
"_Am I good?" _he asked himself. It sounded childish, but he wondered if he was changing.  
"_Is my body mutating me into evil?" he thought. "I took just one hit in that fight, and I just lose my cool and try to exterminate them? "Maybe Nero is not just an outside force. Maybe he is my other personality…like two-face…"  
_He shuddered at the thought. James had learned Harvey Dent's transformation, and it creeped him out.

"_Wait…" he thought. "Heroes…Villains, what's the difference? Is it because Heroes fight for good and villains fight for evil? Is that it? I must find out…"  
_He decided on two things: First, he was going to try to fix his family. Then he was going to learn about the main villains in this city and understand them.

* * *

**Back at the Batcave…  
**"Bruce, what are we gonna do?" Barbara asked.  
"You're talking about Dick?" Bruce replied.  
She nodded. "I mean…well…are we…uhh…you know…"  
Bruce stood up from his chair and walked over to her. He placed his hands on her shoulders  
He smiled. "Yes, we are."  
Barbara smiled back. "Oh Bruce!"  
She flung her arms around him and hugged him.  
Bruce closed his eyes.  
"_I feel different…" he thought. "Before, I was content on just fulfilling my parent's promise and ridding Gotham of its crime. However something like this hasn't happened since…"  
_Nothing had really made him this happy since Andrea Beaumont came into his life. And he almost married her…

"Excuse me sir." Alfred Pennyworth's voice spoke.  
They broke the hug and looked at him.  
"Apologies, but it is late." He said, pointing at the clock.  
They looked, and saw it was 3:00 in the morning.  
"Oh no!" Barbara quipped. "My father is going to kill me for being out for so long!"  
She ran and grabbed her Batgirl costume and started running for the door.  
"Thank you Bruce! The night was wonderful!" she yelled as she waved goodbye. Soon she was gone.  
"If I may sir?" Alfred said. "Are you dating the Commissioner's daughter?"  
Bruce walked to his chair and sat down.  
"I…believe so Alfred." He said uncertainly. "I mean, no one has really made me this happy in a long time. And all of this happened in just a day! I mean, tonight turned south quickly thanks to the Joker, and I still need to figure out why James nearly lost control again. But she's really changing me."  
"I'm sure your parents wouldn't want you spending your life alone." Alfred said as he left.

Bruce knew he was right, but he wondered how this was going to affect his crime fighting. Was his concentration going to be lessened now that Barbara was coming closer to him? He wasn't sure.  
Yet there was one thing he did know:

"_I'm falling in love with Barbara Gordon."  
_

* * *

James stood in his normal attire outside his father's apartment. He was nervous, but still felt ready.  
He last visited his parents 3 years ago, except during the holidays. He'd spend one holiday with one parent, then another with the other. It wore on him so much; he nearly got vocal with it one of those days. But he kept quiet about it and hadn't visited since.  
"_I need to…" _he thought.  
He knocked on the door, and waited. He didn't have to wait to long before the door opened.  
He looked, and there he stood, in front of him.  
George Davis gasped, and couldn't speak for a minute.  
"James!" He hugged his son.  
"Dad…" he said, hugging back. "You're awake!"  
"Just had some paperwork late." He replied.

"I need to talk to you."

"Come in." he replied, letting him in.

His father's apartment was pretty large. It had a small kitchen with a stove and dishwasher. Along with a microwave and fridge just like any other kitchen. But it also had quite a few cabinets. The apartment had two floors, with the kitchen a TV room with a DVD player and cable box with a large couch in front. Upstairs was his room, along with an old dumbwaiter that came with it.

"How have you been?" He asked, sitting on the couch.  
"Been better." James said truthfully.  
"Something wrong?" George asked.  
He sighed. "It's just…this, where we are right now as a family. It's horrible! We shouldn't be so disfigured!"  
His father folded his arms. "Hold on, it was you that refused to stay with either of us. Why did you do it?"  
"I know I know!" James replied. "It's just that, I didn't want to choose one over the other and make the impression I loved one of you over the other!"

He nodded, but felt reproachful still. "But it was still uncalled for!"  
"I know, and I'm sorry." James said, unhappily. "I'm just torn up about this. I feel so hopeless—"  
"You don't have to." George said. "I've been wanting to call you for ages, but never had the time. My job has been taking so much of my days."  
"Actually I wanted to ask about that." James wondered. "You have a very good high-paying job. Why are you staying in this apartment?"  
"Just because I have a high income, doesn't mean I have to live like it." His father replied. "I don't need to live in a mansion to feel satisfied."

"_Typical dad…" _James thought. _"Bare necessities."_

"But the reason why I wanted to call you is that your mother and I have been speaking again." He added.  
James was astonished "Really? What happened?"  
"Well actually, we ran into each other." George said. "Since you know me as a lawyer, and your mother a real estate agent, a case came up where the new owner of a new house was suing Amy (James's mother) over fraud. Which means—"

James's eyes widened. "You became her attorney?"

He smiled. "Indeed I did. And I won."  
James clapped his hands together. "Alright dad! Nice one!"  
George nodded. "Since then, we started talking again. Our anger that time ago had long dissipated. We tried seeing other people, but it wasn't the same. Eventually, we were on friendly terms again. We saw each other again, and talked just like old times."  
"9 years…" James said. "I'm proud of you dad."  
"Thanks son." George replied. "So are you going to see your mother?"  
He nodded. "Yes I am. After this actually."  
"Good." He said. "But you should visit her tomorrow, it's very late, and she's probably asleep by now."  
James nodded. "Your right, but I'll check just in case."  
I'm glad you came back, and I'm sure your mother will be happy to see you again too."  
He stood in the doorway, looking at his father.  
"Hopefully."  
"She will, say hi to her for me." George said.  
James nodded, and left

George crossed his arms.

"_He'll tell me his secret when he's ready." He thought.  
_

* * *

Nightwing swung over the city, about to finish his patrol. He stopped at his old Gotham University, and sat there on a nearby rooftop.  
He had figured it out pretty quickly that Tim was lying earlier. No matter how sick Bruce got, he was always stubborn and went out anyway.  
When he saw Batman and Batgirl at the Iceberg Lounge, he put two and two together and figured it out quickly.

"_Bruce and…Barbara?" he wondered. "She liked Bruce for a long time? How long?"_

Not only was he questioning Barbara's judgment, but also he didn't think Bruce would relent and actually go on a date with her. Now he was wondering if what he said about Bruce those years ago was true…

**Flashback**

"_It was your place to put her in danger!" Robin/Dick Grayson pointed angrily at Batman.  
_"_It wasn't like that! I volunteered!" Barbara protested.  
_"_You think you did!" Dick interrupted. "You don't know him like I do! He manipulates, pulls strings! Anything to get what he wants!  
_"_I thought we had the same goals." Batman said.  
_"_Things change, I changed!" Dick spat out. "The game's over Batman! I quit."  
_

_He turned and started walking away.  
_"_Robin, wait." Batman reached for his shoulder.  
__Dick suddenly turned around and punched him hard in the face, sending him to the ground._

_Barbara gasped in horror._

_Dick ripped off his mask and cape, and leaped away into the night._

**End Flashback**

"But Batman didn't manipulate this time…right?" Dick muttered to himself. "Barbara likes him."  
"_I also never asked Barbara how she became Batgirl…" he thought. "I just assumed Batman had something to do with it…"  
_His argument had no proof those years ago; he was just angry and blamed him for it. He decided to keep this small revelation a secret and let them tell him they were "dating."  
He yawned.  
"Ugh." Nightwing sighed. "It's late. I really don't need to be out for this long…"

* * *

James looked at his watch.  
"3:30 a.m." he grunted. "She's probably asleep now…"  
He flew up to the second floor of Amy Davis's (James's mother) house. He peered in.  
Yep, sound asleep. Just like his father said.  
James sighed. _"Tomorrow then."  
_After changing back into his Valiant costume, he started towards Arkham. He realized that he wasn't yawning at all. Actually, his body felt just fine.  
"Odd…" he muttered. "Maybe this energy really is limitless…"  
Soon he could see the prison come into view. He flew to the entrance. A few guards were standing there.  
"I need to visit…"

"_Which villain should I see first?" he thought. "Maybe…"_

"Poison Ivy."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Beliefs.

"Well well…" Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy said. "The new "Valiant Warrior is it, has decided to grace me with his presence. What do you want?"  
Valiant opened the door to her cell and walked in. Shutting it behind him, he pulled up a chair next to her bed and sat down.  
"I want to know how you became Poison Ivy." Valiant said.  
She stopped. _"What? My story? Why?"  
_"Why do you want to know that?" she asked softly.  
"I want to know why you are so intent on preserving your plants and eliminating the human race." He said.  
She sat up on her bed. "Well isn't it obvious? Because they're all murderers and must pay for—"  
"But why?" Valiant asked. "What is your reasoning behind it? You love your plants, but what made you love them so much more than humans?"

She crossed her legs and stared at him.  
"You're…different." Ivy said. "No one has ever asked me why before…"  
"I just want to know, if it isn't too much to ask." Valiant said.  
Her expression turned soft. "You're not like the Batman at all…"  
Valiant/James smiled. "You betcha."

* * *

"It all started many years ago." Ivy started. "I had grown up in a wealthy family, but I wasn't exactly close to my parents."  
"I studied advanced botanical biochemistry at a university under an evil man named Dr. Jason Woodrue."  
Valiant raised an eyebrow. _"He must be the cause of her change…"  
_"He experimented on me!" She said angrily. "He injected poisons and toxins into my body, and nearly died twice! I was an ugly girl before, but the transformation turned me into what you see now."  
He couldn't help but stare. She was indeed beautiful, and he couldn't imagine her ugly before.

"Hard to believe?" Ivy asked.  
"No no!" Valiant replied quickly. "It's just the ugly part, you…"  
For the first time tonight, she smiled.  
"Why thank you." Ivy said. "I understand, such perfect beauty like me can hardly be believed to be ugly at one time."  
He chuckled. "Alright I didn't want you to get so arrogant."  
"Too bad." Ivy smirked. "Deal with it."  
Valiant smiled back. _"Tough lady…"  
_"Anyway." She continued. "Anyway Woodrue managed to escape police, and I was in the hospital for six months…"  
Ivy told Valiant all about how she suffered from violent mood swings, and her boyfriend suffering a car accident and how she moved to Gotham; then her first confrontation with Batman trying to poison Harvey Dent.

"So Woodrue caused your transformation." Valiant said.  
"He did, and I hate him for the rest of my life for it!" she said angrily. But then she softened.  
"But what drove you to hate all of humanity for killing plants?" he asked.

"Simple it's—"  
She stopped. Now Ivy was wondering that herself. She never thought about it.  
"Are you trying to turn me good, Valiant?" Ivy asked.  
"No, I'm not." He replied. "I just want to know your life story. And I feel bad for you."  
"Shut up!" She replied angrily. "I don't need your pity!"  
"Let's be honest here." Valiant said. "It's not your fault. This shouldn't have happened to you, and that's the truth. But I will say this: You can be better. Think about this; by turning to a life of crime, you're letting Woodrue win."  
Ivy gasped. "What!?"  
"It's true." Valiant said. "While he's probably off doing whatever, you're stuck here in Arkham. Sure you'll get out, but eventually one of us is going to subdue you and bring you back. "Don't you ever get tired of it?"

"You mean losing to the likes of Batman and you!?" She asked hotly. "You know what—"  
Her expression changed suddenly.  
"You know…" She said coyly. "You are handsome…"  
Valiant raised an eyebrow.  
_"What's with the sudden change in personality?" he thought. "Is this a symptom of her accident?"  
_He didn't have time to ponder it when she suddenly lunged forward and kissed him full on the mouth. He gasped, and pushed her off.  
"W-what was that!?" Valiant stuttered.  
She giggled. "Don't you realize it? My kisses are poisonous. You'll be dead in a few minutes. Good bye…"

He staggered back to the window, feeling dazed.  
"Ugh…" he groaned. He knew that Ivy had those kisses of death…he just didn't think she'd do one on him.  
However, he was prepared for the worst.  
Breathing in and out, he filled his body with Solarium. A yellow aura formed around him, prompting Ivy to gasp.  
_"W-what is he doing!?" She thought_.  
Soon, the aura disappeared, and Valiant stood up.  
"Sorry, but I knew your kisses meant death. So my body formed immunity pretty quickly. One of the perks of my abilities."

"Grrr…" she growled. "So what now? Gonna kick me around and keep me here for longer?"  
"No." Valiant replied.  
Her eyebrows rose.  
"No?" Ivy asked, confused. "I just tried to kill you! Surely you would—"  
"But you didn't." he interrupted. "Look, I'm not one of those crime-fighters that just beats up criminals and asks questions later. If it was a random mook than fine beat him. But you have a real history, and a motive for your actions. For me, I want to understand them, so I can understand myself."  
She stood up and crossed her arms, a quizzical expression on her face.

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked.  
"Because truth, can be better than right." Valiant said, walking to the exit.

"Thanks for sharing." Valiant said without looking over his shoulder. "I appreciate it. And note this: I do feel bad for you, but not because of you being a basket case, its because you don't deserve this kind of fate."

* * *

"So your Harvey Dent?" Valiant asked.  
"Two-Face! I am Two-Face you idiot!" Harvey Dent/Two-Face yelled.  
"Please, even though you've got two identities now, you're still Harvey Dent." He replied.  
"Shut up!" Two-Face pulled a pistol (which he shouldn't have in his cell), aimed it at his head, and fired.  
The bullet exploded from the pistol at breakneck speed, but it suddenly stopped in front of Valiant's eyes. The bullet then dropped to the floor.  
"Wh-What the!?" Two-Face gasped. "How did you do that?!  
"Not important." Valiant said.  
_"Guess I gotta try a different tactic…" he thought. "These powers are really developing nicely."_

"Look, I don't want to be hostile with you, but if you don't cooperate I will have to resort to stronger measures."  
"What do you want?" He asked gruffly.  
"To learn about how "Big, Bad Harv" came into being." Valiant said.  
Two-Face grinned.  
"Ha, like you're gonna get anything out of me." He replied.  
Valiant stood up.  
"I didn't I was." He said.  
He held he hand out in front of Two-Face.  
"W-what are you doing!?" He started.

"Getting Harvey Dent to speak, and NOT you." Valiant responded.  
A ball of energy appeared in his hand, and floated towards Two-Face's head.  
"G-get that thing away from me!" He backed away, but the energy kept coming closer, soon it touched his forehead, and went inside.  
He yelled, gripping his head in discomfort, and then he stopped.  
"Harvey Dent?" Valiant asked.  
The man raised his head, and gasped.

"W-who are you?" Harvey Dent asked.

**One note to clarify: I never understood the real motive for Poison Ivy going out and trying to make Gotham pay for its "murder of plants." Sure the accident twisted her and made her evil, and sure some plants were destroyed with the creation of Arkham Asylum (Batman TAS Episode: Pretty Poison), but I believe it leaves her open to second guessing. Which is why I brought her background into this chapter. More on the way!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Harvey & Harley.

"My name is Valiant." Valiant said. "I know Bruce Wayne."  
"Y-you know Bruce!?" Harvey stammered. "How is he? Is he okay? Has he changed because of me!?"  
Valiant held his hand out. "Easy, he's fine. He misses the old you."  
Harvey looked down at the table. "I miss him too."  
"Don't feel down Harvey." Valiant said. "I understand what it's like to have a second personality."  
"Come on, do you have a side where you fly off the handle and try to kill anyone near you?" Dent asked.  
"Actually, yes." He said to Dent's surprise.  
"When I get really angry, I lose control and see red. Everyone becomes my enemy, it's sickening. Then once I come to my senses, something or someone ends up damaged or hurt. I nearly destroyed the Iceberg Lounge earlier this evening."

Dent gasped. "That was you!?"

Valiant sighed unhappily. "Yes it was. That was the result of me not being able to control my anger. I've read about you Harvey. You're not a bad person; we're a bit alike."  
For the first time, Dent smiled.  
"Look Valiant." He started. "It's not about suppressing your anger and keeping it locked away. I learned that the hard way. The fact in the matter is, that anger will always be there, but you can learn to adapt to it and control it. It is something I was never able to do, but you still can."  
Valiant's lips parted. He couldn't believe that Harvey was saying this to him.  
"Thank you, that was exactly what I needed to hear." He said. "You really know your stuff huh? I thought you were a lawyer."

Unexpectedly, he laughed.

"Well I may still be like this." Dent said. "But being a lawyer is more than interpreting the law."  
Valiant smiled. "True."  
He paused for a few minutes, and then spoke:

"I think you should let Grace see you again."

He gasped.  
"Grace! Oh my God Grace! How is she doing!? Is she alright?"  
"I haven't looked for her yet, but I'm sure she'll be fine." Valiant replied.  
"Please! Look for her, and make sure she's okay!" Dent requested. "I still love her! And I want to see her again!"  
"Harvey, this conversation isn't going to last much longer. I managed to pry the good side out of you, but only for a short while." Valiant said. "It a few minutes you'll degenerate back into Two-Face."

Dent gasped, but Valiant continued.

"However, I will do it, I'll see Grace and make sure she's alright." Valiant said. "Trust me Harvey, I'll ask Bruce to help me find a cure for you. You will get better, I swear it!"  
_"Looks like i'm not going to have the time to ask how his bad side came about...But maybe I don't need to. He's told me a lot already..."_  
He noticed that Harvey had started to sweat. Time was up.  
"Th-thankk—ARRRGGHHH!"  
He grabbed his head again, and soon reverted back to Two-Face again.  
"What did you do to me!?" Two-Face yelled. "ANSWER ME!"  
Valiant shrugged. "Nothing much."

In an instant, Two-Face flew at him, tackling him to the ground. Yet he wasn't able to hold him for Valiant kicked him off easily.  
"Calm down double talker." He said, brushing himself off. "I didn't poison you or attack you, just wanted to talk to your other half."  
He gasped.  
"How did you—?"  
"Not telling." Valiant said. "That's not for you to know. I'm done here. Ciao."  
He opened the steel door and exited. Before Two-Face could attack again, he slammed it shut, keeping him locked away.

* * *

Barbara Gordon sat in her room, looking up at the ceiling. She had to tell her father that she was over a friend's house helping her with 'summer classes,' which was a big lie. Nonetheless, he bought it, getting her off the hook. Barely.  
But she couldn't stop thinking about that moment with Bruce.  
_"He said it! I can't believe he said it!" She thought, enthralled.  
_"It's like I'm living in one of my dreams…" Barbara muttered.

For years, she had thought it was a long shot. A REALLY long shot. The age difference, the different social statuses, everything. But at the same time, they shared many other things. Both fought crimes together, they spent time with each other more, and they with Tim and the new member James fought together. Now it was a reality, and she still couldn't believe it.

But with that great happiness came a large fear.  
_"Dick…" She thought. "When he finds out…what will he think?"  
_She remembered that night when Dick Grayson quit being Robin, and never saw him for a long time after that.  
However, she didn't believe that Bruce had manipulated her into becoming Batgirl. She had done it herself. She had stolen his costume and wore it herself at a rally to help free her father from a framing charge years ago. Bruce wasn't within 10 feet of her when she made her choice.

_"That's right!" She realized. "He doesn't know how I became Batgirl!"_

This thought made her feel a little better, yet she still had to tell him eventually.  
_"Ugh, I'm thinking when I should be snoozing…" She thought. "I'll deal with this tomorrow…"  
_She rolled over in her pillow and fell asleep.

* * *

Valiant Warrior sighed. _"Well there's the easy part…now I gotta talk to a girl hampered with Domestic Violence, and a clown."  
_Valiant walked deeper into the Asylum, passing inmates as he looked, until finally he reached one with a girl standing there, looking up and out her windows with bars.  
He opened the steel door and closed it behind him.  
"Are you Harley Quinn?" Valiant asked.  
The girl turned, and he saw a girl with blond hair in two puffs on the sides of her head.  
"Oh its you…" She muttered.  
_"Jeez, what a cold reception compared to her usual banters." He thought.  
_"Look Harley—"  
"Don't even start with me." She interrupted. "You almost killed Mr. J! Not even the Ba—"  
"I'm not Batman." Valiant snapped. "And I didn't mean to lose control like that."  
She huffed, and turned back around. Not expecting the next response...

"I'm…sorry."

She froze, turning back around.  
"W-what did you just say?" she asked, astonished.  
"I'm sorry." Valiant said. "I lost control of my anger and threatened the lives of everyone in that club earlier tonight. And I didn't want that. I never want that, and for that I'm sorry."  
She folded her arms and stared at him for a brief minute.  
A smile broke onto her face. "Apology accepted!"  
Valiant gasped. "W-what? That's it? You forgive me?"

She giggled. "You ain't like the Bat at all. The Bat never forgave an _enemy_ like ME. You're weird, but I like it. You're alright."  
He sighed. "Well…thanks I guess."  
"So what is it you want this time? A date?" Quinn asked.  
"No no!" Valiant held his hands out. "I just want to ask you…why do you still stay with the Joker after all he's done to you?"  
Now it was her turn to sigh.  
"You're not the first to ask me that ya know'." She replied. "He's all forgiving! I love him so much and I'm always there whenever he needs me! We're perfect!"  
Valiant's mouth dropped open. _"What!? Perfect!? That's the total opposite of perfect! That's erroneous in so many ways!"_

Harley giggled again. "Surprised at my honesty?"  
_"No, by your stupidity…"  
_"But he knocked you out of a window! And you had Batman in your grasp that one time!" (Watch Mad Love if you don't know what he's talking about)

"Bah, he left me a flower in my cell after it was all over!" She quipped happily. "So it's all better now!"  
Valiant/James had never met someone with a low self-esteem such as this person. It was astounding that such people like her could even exist!  
_"She's not a bad person…" he thought. "Though she's not exactly naïve either…I feel like they've been 'together' once…"  
_"You're pretty interesting…"Valiant said. _"Though not completely in a good way…"_

She bowed. "Why thank ya' mister!"  
He nearly face palmed, but decided to keep quiet.  
"So tell me Harley…" He started again. "Out of all the villains, how did the Joker catch your eye and not anyone else?"  
"Why that's simple!" Harley answered. "He was the funniest and bestest to be around!"  
_"Isn't she supposed to be a college graduate psychiatrist?" He thought, nonplussed. "What, no good grammar?"  
_"Why though Harley?" He pressed. "What makes him stand out?"  
"Well, he shared with me so many secrets and stories about his life—"  
_"Most of which are questionable…" he thought.  
_"And he understands me too!" She added. "I mean, don't we have a little bit of crazy in all of us?"

Valiant hadn't thought of that. Nor had he even fathomed the idea until now.  
_"A little crazy in all of us? Like what, we all need that day where we just be incredibly reckless and destroy everything? Guess she really is a psychiatrist…though a quirky one."  
_He turned and walked to the steel door.  
"Thanks Harley, that's all I needed to know." He said.

"Hey wait a minute buster!" Harley protested. "You're not gonna use what you learned to get me aren't you!?"

Valiant turned and smiled.

"Don't you remember? I'm not the Batman." he said as he walked out.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: I Spent The Night With A Supervillain.

Valiant walked down the halls until he reached what was supposed to be the Joker's holding cell.  
He looked through the glass, and saw that the Joker wasn't there.  
Quickly readying himself, he bolted to a nearby guard.  
"Where's the Joker?" He asked urgently.  
"Did you check under his bed?" the guard asked.  
"W-what!? Under his bed!?" He stammered.  
"Look again. He's there." He said.

Raising an eyebrow, he walked back to the cell. He hunched down and peered through the glass and looked as close as he could under the bed.  
Lo and behold, there he was, sleeping.  
_"What the hell? Really?" He thought, annoyed. "The only villain that's sleeping…"  
_He decided not to wake him up. He'll visit tomorrow.  
He started walking towards the exit. After a few minutes, he saw the steel double doors come into view. As he got closer, he heard a knock on one of the glass panes.  
He whipped around in battle position, and saw it was Poison Ivy knocking.

She beckoned him to come inside. Confused, Valiant re-entered her room.  
She sat there on her bed, hands around her knees.  
"Ivy?" Valiant asked. "What's wrong?"  
"I…" she started. "I'm afraid."  
Valiant gasped. "Afraid? Why?"  
"I've been second guessing myself for the past hour!" She said desperately. "I'm questioning my existence! Even though I take pride in who I am and what I have become, it doesn't change the fact that I am infected! I have been tainted, ruined, exploited, humiliated by that man!"

_"Woodrue…"_ Valiant thought.

"And it turns out you were right earlier!" She cried out. "I now understand that this is EXACTLY what he wants! I'm now stuck in an endless cycle of attack, rob, get beaten up, get arrested, and attack again! Even though he's probably dead now, he got what he wanted. ME, poisoned beyond any of the victims that my plants have claimed! I am…a FREAK!"

She burst into tears, and put her head on the pillow and started crying hysterically.  
"I have been foolish to think that I beat Woodrue, and I had the last laugh! But it turns out, HE did! He made me into this! I love my plants; love them to the ends of the earth, but HIM! He really did RUIN me!"  
Valiant was taken aback by her deep reaction. He never expected that past that calm, cool ladylike exterior of self-centeredness was a scared, angry girl who feels ruined by the man she thought was a mentor to her.

Valiant sat down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.  
"Hey, come on. It's not that bad." James said. "Even though we're on opposite sides of the spectrum, I can see that you have used your abilities and helped yourself. Despite my disapproval, you were at least happy to be yourself. I know that Woodrue damaged you, but you became a beautiful woman with immunity to poison! I mean…wait a minute…What I said earlier…you're actually wrong! I was wrong! Woodrue didn't ruin you, he made you stronger!"  
Ivy stopped, and looked at him.

"W-what?" She stuttered. "H-how?"

"You told me he tried to kill you." Valiant said. "But he didn't! Not only did he fail, but also you became a whole new person. You're beautiful, strong, and have a great self-esteem. He didn't ruin you he improved you! Can I be any blunter? You're down right _hot!_"  
She gasped. Ivy looked at herself. He was right. She had become a beautiful woman with seductive charms. Even though that could be misconstrued as superficial, she had gained confidence. She was determined for whatever goal she set in front of her. Hell, her whole goal was to bring Gotham's people to its knees!

She looked back at Valiant.  
"Th-thank you." Ivy said softly, voice steadily growing. "You're right! I AM better! Screw him! If he saw me, he'd drop dead! HE FAILED! HA!"  
"Whoa hang on, let's not get too happy." Valiant held his hands up.  
One of his arms got grabbed, and he was pulled into a hug.  
"Thank you…" she whispered. "Even though we will still be enemies on the outside, I respect you."  
Valiant was shocked. _"Respect? She respects me? Wow…"  
_"Stay with me…please…" She begged.  
"W-what?" he stammered.  
"Just this once…" Ivy whispered.  
He was not prepared for this. Staying the night with Ivy…?  
"Wait." Valiant said. He stood up, grabbed a spare blanket, and covered the large window.

"Clever." Ivy muttered.  
He then sat next to her on the bed.  
"I…don't know where this is going…" he said awkwardly.  
Ivy pushed him down on the bed and lay on top of him.  
"Stay with me…" she said softly.  
_"I…I don't know what to do…" he thought wildly. "What's gonna happen!? She's a real woman, and I'm just a kid…well I am 20…and I do look old for my ag—Oh that doesn't matter! It—"_

Before he could finish his thoughts, Ivy planted her lips on his, enveloping him in a kiss. It was a real kiss, no poisonous death (even though he was immune), just passion. Unsure of what to do, he lay here feeling her lips on his, until he decided to kiss back. It felt good, too good. He was getting addicted too quickly. Valiant/James have only been kissed once before, but this time it was different. (I'm switching the name from Valiant back to James for this part)

James wrapped her arms around her back, feeling the open skin she revealed. Ivy then moved her lips to his neck, setting off a moan by the young hero. He was becoming attached to the kiss, and wanted more. His pheromones were in overdrive, and he liked it. His had trouble focusing, and didn't feel the small surge of power in his mind.

He then pulled Ivy under him and placed himself on top. His lips then went to _her _neck, enabling her to moan in pleasure. She started stripping her prison clothes off. First her top, leaving her bra; she left her gray prison pants on for now. She reached for his mask, when he stopped her.

"Wait, please don't." James said.

"Why not?" Ivy protested. "You already know who I am. Why can't I see your face?"  
"Because I have loved ones that you might hurt if you found out who I was…" He said.  
"Just this night only…" Ivy whispered. "Anything that happens in this room will stay in this room, I promise."  
James was unconvinced. Revealing his identity is a huge no-no. Especially to a supervillain. It could screw up his whole life.  
"I…" he stammered, still unsure of what to do.  
_"Argh!" He thought angrily. "I just wish I could take my mask off, then after this is over just wipe her memory of how I look like!"_

Then he realized, he _could_.

**Flashback:  
**_"So you're saying your thoughts can become reality?" Barbara wondered.  
"No…" James said. "I don't think it's that simple. If it were, then a hundred million things would be appearing in this room at once. It must be more complex than that."  
_**End Flashback**

_"It takes concentration." He figured. "If I can just put my brainpower behind it, theoretically it should work…_"  
"Okay. I'll do it." James said. He slowly reached for his mask, and pulled it off.  
_"You will not remember how I look like under the mask tomorrow."  
_A small glow emitted from his eyes, enabling her to blink twice.  
She gasped.  
"I do like your eyes…" Ivy said. "Hazel."  
He chuckled. "Thanks."  
She enveloped him in another kiss, her arms traveling under his costume.  
The kiss got more lustful, as they soon started French kissing, wanting to feel as much as they other as possible.

James started reaching under her shirt…when James then realized what he was doing.  
He gasped, and broke the kiss.  
"Oh no…what are we doing?" He asked, sitting up.  
She leaned forward, breathing heavily.  
"I…don't…know…" She whispered. "I…couldn't control myself. Your kisses kept me going…"  
"Same here." He breathed. "I'm sorry…"  
"For what?" Ivy asked, puzzled.  
"I…don't know." James replied. "I just didn't want to put you in an awkward position. I mean, what happens if we see each other again during a robbery? Or a heist? Or a hostage situation?"  
"It's…back to business as usual I guess…" she said.  
"Guess so." Valiant said, putting his mask back on.  
But he knew, that wasn't possible. Not anymore.

He walked towards the steel door, now seeing the sun starting to come up. He took down the blanket, and gave it back to her.  
"Well…goodbye Ivy." Valiant said.  
"Wait." Ivy walked up to him, and looked into his eyes, putting her top grey uniform back on.  
"I don't think we'll be able to keep this in Arkham for very long…" She said.  
"I agree...too much has happened tonight..." Valiant replied.  
She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Goodbye Valiant." Ivy said.  
He nodded. "Goodbye Ivy."

He opened the steel door, and closed it behind him. He flew at full speed towards his apartment. He was now starting to get tired. He yawned and kept flying making sure that no one spotted him, he flew low and around buildings. There was still darkness, but the sun's light was breaking through it. Soon, he'd be spotted easily.

Just in time, he made it back.  
Landing, he removed his costume and lay down on his bed.  
"Ugh, man." He moaned. "My head hurts."  
"You're going to have to stay awake for a little bit longer." Batman's voice rang out.

James quickly sat up, ready to fight. He looked to his window, and saw Batman standing in the shade.  
"Good one." James yawned. "Something you need?"  
"How was Arkham?" he asked.

James gasped. "How did you-?"  
Batman walked over and pulled out one of his gloves. He removed something black and showed it to him.  
"You had me bugged!?" He protested. "Why?! Is that a camera too!?"

He said nothing. He walked closer to him and folded his arms.

"Did you enjoy Poison Ivy?"

**Looks like Batman knew all along…Reviews appreciated!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Explanation and Answers

"Were you really watching all of that?" James asked.  
"Yes." Batman replied.  
"Pervert." He muttered. "Why did you bug me?"  
"That device I planted on you is more than just a tracker and camera." Batman replied. "I've been trying to figure out the causes of your outbursts. And I found something very interesting…"

**Flashback: The Batcave  
**"This is disturbing Alfred…" Batman said.  
He was looking at James's frontal lobe in his brain. Something foreign was inside there, he just couldn't figure out what it was.  
"Is it just another nerve sir?" Alfred asked.  
"No, it's something completely different. Rather, something that shouldn't be there. I have a feeling that night the accident took place, something else happened."

"What would that be sir?"

"The Penguin and Mad Hatter were trying two things that night. First was to fuse the Solarium into James's body. The second was to place him under mind control. I returned to the destroyed factory and collected samples of the destroyed helmet that they used. It's something very strange. The helmet was completely different from what the Hatter used to use. Possibly with the Penguins help, instead of the helmet directly controlling the user by wearing it, it injects a microchip from the helmet. From there, the chip can be controlled by an outside source. But it was damaged during the accident. As a result, the chip couldn't control James completely. It's still damaged, and still in his brain. But that chip contains something else. It has its own source of Solarium inside."

"What does this mean sir?"

"It means that the chip seems to have developed a separate identity, completely independent from the Hatter's and Penguin's control. It believes it's alive, and has its own AI (artificial intelligence).  
"Does that thing have to be removed?" Alfred asked.  
"Yes it does, but I don't have anything that can safely remove the chip without damaging James's brain. I believe the only solution may be…

**End Flashback**

"You're saying the solution is for me to use my energy and extract the chip from inside my brai-?"  
Suddenly, James gripped his head, yelling in pain.  
"James!" Batman yelled.  
He fell to his knees.  
"Nero…is getting…stronger…! Trying…to…break…free!" James cried out.  
**_"Fool!" _**Nero yelled through James's mouth. **_"I WILL BE FREE! And when I am free, you Batman, will die SECOND!"_**

"Stay…IN THERE!" James yelled back, and soon he quieted down.  
"Ugh…" he moaned. "Nero is getting stronger. This is the first time in a few hours that he's attacked again. Argh! I need to get him OUT of me! I just don't know how! I can't just think him out!"  
"Get some rest." Batman said. "Then afterwards, come to the Batcave. I may have an idea on how to extract him from you. It'll be pointless for you to try now; you're not at full strength."  
James nodded. "Alright. And one more thing."  
"What is it?" he asked.  
"What should I do when I see her again?" James asked, desperately.  
"You're talking about Ivy?" Batman asked.  
He nodded.

"When that time comes, and you stand face to face with her, you'll know."

**_ Around the same time…at Wayne Manor…  
_**Tim Drake sat on Bruce's couch, eating some eggs that Alfred had made earlier.  
"Ah, a nice warm day today!" He said happily. "Hey Alfred!"  
"Yes Master Timothy?" the butler asked.  
"Wanna head to the park?" he asked.  
"That would be splendid Master Timothy." Alfred replied. "However I need to wait for Bruce to return before I can leave.  
"Aww…" he moaned. "Guess some TV will have to do."  
He grabbed the remote and switched it on. The first thing he saw made his mouth drop open.

**MASS BREAKOUT AT ARKHAM ASYLUM**

"Breaking news!" the reporter stated. "There has been a mass breakout of supervillains from Arkham Asylum. Reports are saying that all of the guards were knocked out, and a coalition of supervillains led by the Joker has escaped. A list has been procured and I will read out the escapees:  
Tim listened as every supervillain they had put in jail was read out. Every…single…one.

He jumped up from the couch and bolted towards the Batcave, radioing Bruce.  
"Uhh Bruce…?" Tim started, but was interrupted by him.  
"I know. Suit up, let's go." Bruce's voice responded.

* * *

Barbara Gordon grabbed the backpack with her Batgirl suit inside and quickly ran out the door towards Wayne Manor. Her father was already out at the police station, so the day was pretty free for her. She looked around the city, taking in the sights. Even with crime still running rampant through the streets at night, she still loved this city. Including the nightlife.  
She gave a heavenly sigh, and walked on. Suddenly, she heard horns blaring behind her. Barbara turned, and saw a black van speed away with two police cars behind it.

She gasped. _"Oh man! I gotta tell Bruce! And I gotta…"  
_Batgirl in the daytime. Sounds like a huge paradox to her. But she had no choice.  
She bolted into an alleyway and changed into the Shadow of the Bat. Batgirl then swung onto a tall building and chased the van overhead. Looking closer, she could see the Penguin and the Mad Hatter in front.  
Eyes widening, she jumped off the building and slammed on the roof of the van with her feet, bending it.

"What in the world was that!?" The Penguin gasped.  
"It's probably the Bat!" the Hatter replied. "Keep going! I'll get him!"  
Barbara jumped back, and saw the Hatter emerge on top of the van.  
"Ah it's the lady!" the hatter mocked. "Come to stop us?"  
"What are you doing!?" Batgirl asked angrily.  
"Why, we're coming to get what's ours!" the Hatter replied. "Nothing else."  
She gasped. _"James…!"  
_"And now that you've intervened, you'll be first!" The hatter pulled a gun out at her. But before he could aim, Barbara had thrown a batarang and knocked the gun off.  
"Ow!" he yelled.  
Suddenly the van took a sharp turn, and both were forced to lay low and hang on to the van.

"Argh!" she shouted. "Drive better damn it!"  
"Shut up!" came the Penguin's voice.  
But just then, the wheels on the van exploded, sending the van into a nearby park. Jumping off just in time, Barbara landed on a soft bush, while the Hatter fell into a pond.  
She looked past the van, and saw Batman holding a batarang.  
Batgirl grinned. _"Always with the dramatics."  
_She got up and walked to the van. Just then, the Penguin leaped out and pointed his umbrella at her.  
Batman quickly saw the danger and leaped forward towards the pack.  
"Don't move Batman!" the Penguin warned. "This umbrella has acid off the tip! One more step and your little partner will melt in front of your ey-!"  
Before he could finish his sentence, the umbrella was blasted out of his hands by an energy blast.

Gasping, he looked and saw the Valiant Warrior floating there, arms crossed.  
"Well, if it isn't Alice in Wonderland and Mr. Popper." He muttered.  
"Ah you have returned!" The hatter emerged from the lake. "Good, now we'll be taking you back."  
"Not gonna happen damn it!" Valiant blasted two more shots towards them, forcing them to dodge.  
Penguin quickly procured a strange device from his coat. He pointed it at Valiant.  
"You see this?" he asked. "This device will reactivate the chip in your brain and bring you under OUR control! And you can't do anything about it!"  
He pushed the black button in the middle, and the device started humming.  
Valiant landed and crossed his arms, feeling no difference.  
"Well?" He said impatiently.

"W-well…" Penguin stuttered. "Hatter! This was supposed to work!"  
"It should've! I don't know why it isn't!" he protested.  
"If that's gonna be all…" Valiant started walking towards the two villains…

…When suddenly his forehead exploded with pain.  
"ARRRAAGGHHH!" He yelled in pain. Falling to his knees once again.  
"I-is it working!?" Hatter asked, intimidated.  
"I-I..d-don't know!" the Penguin replied.  
"Valiant!" Batgirl yelled. "Are you alright!?"  
This time, instead of the pain subsiding, or James being possessed, a red aura formed around his body. He started floating horizontal to the ground, and red energy expelled from him.  
Valiant fell to the ground, moaning in pain.

Everyone watched as the red mist combined and solidified. Soon, a man was standing there, looking exactly like James. But this time his skin was pale, with his costume a dark red and black. His red eyes could be easily seen through the mask.

He looked at his hands, then the rest of his body. Before grinning.

"YES!" he declared. "I AM FREE! Nero is finally alive!"


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Battle Royale

**Note: Whenever I put the name of the person, followed by a slash with the alter ego's name, I'm switching to that name. Meaning if I put Bruce/Batman, I'm gonna use Batman as his name, etc.**

"N-Nero-!" James said weakly.  
"Ah, James…" Nero walked up to him and forced his chin up. "Or rather Valiant. Looks like you lose. I am free, and now with Solarium powering my body as well, I can't lose!"  
"W-who are you?" The Penguin asked, intimidated.  
"Not now you two." Nero muttered. He grabbed the Hatter and the Penguin and threw them into the pond.  
"B-but how!? Did YOU free all the villains at the Asylum!?" James/Valiant asked.  
"So you are smart. Bet you're wondering how I did huh?" Nero asked. "Well it wasn't easy. You see that night when you were with Ivy…"  
He gasped. _"No…"  
_"Your hold on me weakened enough for some of my power to leak out. I decided while you were in your lustful state, I weakened the locks on all of the rooms in that area. So in the morning when you left, there would be nothing else they needed to do. Just push the door open and BAM! Free as birds!"

"Lustful? Ivy? What is he talking about Valiant?" Batgirl asked.  
"Ah you haven't told them have you?" Nero mocked him. "Well I might as well do it. You see, your little friend here was getting intimate with a supervillain!"  
She gasped. "W-what!?"  
"Didn't you hear me you silly little bitch?" Nero demanded. "This boy was—"  
Before he could finish his sentence, Valiant/James delivered a powerful punch to his stomach, then used his other hand to grab his neck while the same punch hand blasted out a tremendous surge of energy, sending him flying miles away.  
He stood up, looking down at the ground.

"James—" Batman started.  
He held his hand up to silence him. "Don't worry, I'll explain quickly."  
James looked up at Batgirl.  
"Last night, or rather this morning." He started. "I was with Poison Ivy at Arkham. And we…made out."  
Her mouth dropped open.  
"You made out with _Poison Ivy!?_" Barbara gasped in shock. "How did—"  
Suddenly, explosions rang out all around them. They jumped towards the middle of the park, and found that nearly every villain they had beaten over the years surrounded them.  
"Oh my God…" Batgirl moaned.  
Surrounding them was The Penguin, The Riddler, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, The Scarecrow, Killer Croc, the Mad Hatter, Clayface, Bane, Klarion the Witch Boy, Calander Girl, Firefly, Livewire, even Baby Doll was there; but what finished it off was The Joker and Harley Quinn. Behind them was a gang of criminals with Rupert Thorn leading them.

Nero flew overhead.  
"Like my army Batman?" He chastised. "I'll leave you to deal with this people!"  
He turned and flew high into the air, and held his hands into the air, causing purple clouds to form and turn the day to night.  
Screams could be heard around the city, with people running scared everywhere. Criminals ran wild in the streets, attacking innocent bystanders and stealing.  
Batman, Batgirl, and James readied their battle positions.  
"Man…no bigger odds than this huh?" Batgirl asked.  
"Could be worse." Valiant said.  
"How?" she wondered.  
"I'll get back to you on that." He replied.  
"Be ready for anything." Batman said. "This will be our toughest fight we've ever been in."

Valiant looked around, and noticed the Joker's and Harley Quinn's eyes were different. A small red glow took the place of their pupils. Meaning…  
_"The Joker and Harley are the only ones possessed…" He thought. I guess he couldn't control them normally, or they wouldn't listen to him. Also…someone's missing from this pack…"  
_Before the villains attacked, a few smoke bombs exploded overhead, causing fits of coughing among the villains.  
The three looked up and saw Robin, Nightwing, and Catwoman swing over and land next to them.  
"Nightwing!" Batgirl exclaimed in surprise.  
"Glad you guys can make it." Valiant/James said.

"What are you doing here?" Batman asked Catwoman.  
"Surprised handsome?" the feline pouted. "Come on, you think I'm just going to let my savior perish in front of me?"  
"Whoa!" Robin whistled. "Looks tough…"  
"Less talking more fighting!" Batgirl yelled.  
Right then, everyone charged towards their group of villains.  
Batgirl took on Babydoll, the Penguin, and the Riddler. Babydoll quickly took out a doll gun and shot at her, but missed. Batgirl managed to kick her into a tree before being grabbed by both arms by both villains. Yet she anticipated this and flipped both villains over.

James and Nightwing fought together and took on Killer Croc, Mister Freeze, Bane, and Two-Face.  
"We will cure you Harvey!" James/Valiant said.  
"Be quiet! Harvey Dent is DEAD!" Two-Face shot back.  
Nightwing leaped on top of Croc's back and started riding him around.  
"Arrgh! Hey geroff me!" He yelled, swiping at his back for Nightwing. He took out an electric sticker and stuck in on his back, then jumped off.  
Electricity coursed through the pale croc's veins as he yelled, and fell  
unconscious. Two-Face tried to aim at Valiant, but he managed to blast both of his guns off his ands and kick him into a wall.  
Mister Freeze took out an Ice Gun and fired it at Valiant, who deflected the blast at Bane, freezing him in place. He then delivered a swift kick to his head, knocking him into a tree.  
Valiant then lifted him up and threw him toward Nightwing, who kicked him into the pond.

Bane then smashed free of his ice prison and charged at him. He threw a punch at him the same time Valiant threw his punch. Their firsts collided and sent a shockwave through the park.  
They stayed like that, fighting for dominance, when Bane started using more of his venom to increase his strength. At the same time, Valiant started feeling his power rise due to the Solarium.  
_"Whoa! My strength is increasing!" He thought. "Now to test it!"  
_He then broke contact with his fists and used his palms to push Bane back.  
"How did he do that!?" Bane said, astonished.  
Valiant then ran at him full speed and did a jumping spinning back kick right into his chest, sending him crashing through a tree.

Catwoman then leaped over Calendar Girl and used both feet to kick livewire into a bush, then did a back kick in the same motion into the Girl, knocking her into the pond. The Scarecrow then tried to spray some hallucinogen into the Cat's eyes, but was suddenly tied up by Batgirl using her grappling hook. She then swung him into Livewire who just emerged from the bush and into the lake, causing an incredible short circuit. She leaped out of the water and onto dry land, but fell unconscious.

Firefly attempted to surprise Batgirl by flying behind her and aiming his flamethrower, but Nightwing threw two batarangs at him and cut his wings off, sending him into the water.

Klarion the witch boy then sent a shower of sparks towards Valiant, who flew high into the air and sent his own energy careening at him, forcing him to leap into a bush to dodge.  
Valiant then slammed his hands together, eyes closed.  
_"Dog in a cage, witch boy!" He thought.  
_Suddenly, an energy prison shaped itself around Klarion.  
"Hey!" He yelled. "Release me NOW!"  
"Yeah right." Valiant muttered. Suddenly, bullets whizzed past him. He looked down and saw Rupert Thorne's thugs shooting at him.  
"Pfft. Child's play." Valiant raised a finger, and sent a small ball of yellow energy to the middle of the pack, causing a mini-earthquake. The thugs lost their balance and fell over, enabling Valiant to knock them all out at once.

Now all that was left was Joker and Harley.  
"Well this is gonna be fun Mr. J." Harley said robotically.  
"Indeed it will ha ha ha ha ha!" The Joker laughed.  
Batman and Robin sprung forward and attacked. Robin threw two batarangs towards Harley, who jumped over him and procured a mallet and tried to smack him with him.  
"Whoa!" Robin cried out, jumping out of the way of the giant hammer.  
"Robin!" Batgirl swung in front of him and tackled Harley.  
"Hey that's mine!" Robin complained.  
"Do…you…want to hit a girl?" She asked while struggling with her.  
He didn't think of that.  
"Point taken." He said, and rushed to help Batman.  
"Well well Batsy! Just like last time!" the clown laughed.  
"Let's go." Batman charged at him and tackled him. The Joker quickly kicked him off and tossed a grenade at him, forcing him to grapple away from the explosion.  
He took out another grenade, but a batarang knocked it off his hand. Batman then leaped off the tree and delivered a strong kick to his head, knocking him to the ground.  
"You…always were the one with the fists." The Joker laughed. He opened his coat and dynamite was linked to a ticking time bomb.  
Batman gasped, while Joker grabbed both of his arms.  
"Now we both die together!" He laughed hysterically. "Isn't that wonderful!? Ha ha ha ha!"

But the bomb was knocked off of his coat by another batarang; this time from Robin who arrived just in time, as the bomb exploded a safe distance away.  
Joker looked at Robin.  
"Killjoy…" he moaned as he fell unconscious.  
Freeing himself, Batman looked up at the dark sky.  
"Freaky isn't it?" Robin suggested.  
He nodded. "Where's James?"  
"Right here." James/Valiant walked up behind them.  
Both heroes turned to face him.

"Where's Nero?" he asked.  
Batman took out his tracker.  
"He's at the old factory…where the accident happened." He said.  
"Figures." James said. "Well, I know what I need to do. I may be free of him, but now I need to destroy him."  
"On your own?" Batgirl walked next to him.  
"You sound affectionate." James said sarcastically. "Save it for the Dark Knight."  
She blushed. "Ha ha. I'm just worried for you."  
"Thanks. But you guys aren't done yet." He said. "There are still some criminals running around here, I think Commissioner Gordon might need help."

"He's right, let's finish things down here, then we'll join James/Valiant at the factory." Batman agreed.  
"Well, this'll be too easy with all this fuss." Catwoman sidled up next to him, causing Batgirl to flush red in anger.  
"Why you-!"  
"Not now." Nightwing interrupted. "Let's just go help them out. Good luck 'Valiant.'"  
"Nice to meet you too Nightwing." Valiant chuckled.  
"Win Valiant!" Robin cheered. "Beat him up!"  
"I don't know who you are but good luck I guess." The Catwoman muttered.  
"Thanks, that means a lot…I guess." Valiant said.  
He turned to Batman. Batman looked at him intently for a minute, and then held his hand out.  
"Good luck." He said.  
"You too." Valiant said, shaking it. He turned and flew at full speed towards the factory ruins.

_"Nero…" he thought. "Now we settle this...Permanently!"_


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Ying Yang

**Note: **I'll be referencing heroes from the Justice League here, but none of them appear.

James/Valiant flew high into the dark sky, looking far ahead at the ruins and the battlefield that awaited him.  
_"I didn't even get a chance to see mom…" he thought despondently. "Oh well…hopefully I'll be able to see her after this…"  
_But something was telling him he might not come back. Despite him getting stronger, it looked to him that Nero had a much better grasp of power than he did. Also, he couldn't really find any advantages for himself over Nero.  
Shaking his head, he ignored these thoughts.  
_"I'm over thinking this…"_ he thought, annoyed. _"Just fight with everything you've got!"  
_Before he knew it, he had landed on the factory ruins. He looked around, and recognized the remains of the room where he was held.

"**Take a look at this place James…" **Nero's voice rang out.  
He quickly took a battle position and looked around quickly. He couldn't see any sign of the dark warrior.  
**"You already know I was born here. Created by two stupid villains who thought they could control me. Ha! Back then I followed every order they made back in the testing labs. Controlling other humans in many experiments. Finally when I tried to control you, you resisted the hardest. The Solarium surely helped you. Then, it became too much, and your rage power broke you out of your chains. But it also severed the connection I had with those two fools. I took a look into your emotions and found your rage being the strongest power you had. So I latched onto it, tried to assimilate your mind into my being."**

_"Rage…being my strongest emotion?" _James thought, confused. "_Shouldn't love be my strongest emotion?"  
_But then he realized why it wasn't.

_"No wonder, I've never dated." He thought. "Never really was able to. No girl really gave a shit about me. High School sucked ass that way. I became very bitter towards most girls in that school. Drama queens, stupid ones, slutty ones, depressed ones, all of them. But that still shouldn't be the reason why love is not my strongest emotion! I love my family! I would protect them as much as possible. Is it because of the divorce, and all the problems that came after it finally hampered that emotion to the point where it was no longer my strongest and most prominent feeling? Naturally I felt mostly anger and disappointment over how divided we became after that. I guess I felt that way for so long, I got used to it. Which also explains where I lost it during that first time with Batman, and the second time fighting the Joker and Harley at the Iceberg Lounge…"  
_**"Unfortunately, you resisted again!" Nero's voice continued. "Something was keeping me from controlling you! Then I realized…the Solarium in your body was powering you so much, nothing I tried worked. Even though I was fused with Solarium as well, I was weak. Your little escape from the factory damaged me, so I started building up my own power. Waiting for the right moment to free myself from you when you were at your weakest. I should have been freed earlier. But you and Poison Ivy stopped your lustful advances towards each other, and I couldn't escape! I was, however, able to free some of my power and release the villains after you left Arkham. I gained a large boost in power while you were off with the woman, enabling me to escape sooner than expected!"  
**James gasped. _"I guess stopping that night was the right move after all…if I had made love to Ivy, he would have escaped earlier, and I would be in no shape to fight him right then."_

**"But that doesn't matter now does it, James?" Nero's **voice grew closer. **"Because now I am free, I can now destroy you AND Batman! Now that all of my power has generated into my being, I can not only rule Gotham, but possibly the world!"  
**Suddenly, a red energy blast caught James right in the back, sending him crashing into a destroyed wall.  
"Arrgh!" He yelled, quickly getting back up. "Show yourself!"  
**"What's the fun in that?" Nero** taunted. **"I love watching you squirm, looking everywhere for where I am, even though you CAN'T!"  
**Suddenly, James felt a fist connect with his face, forcing him into the air. Then two energy blasts from both the ground and the air came right at him. Thinking quickly, he flew sideways and avoided both blasts. Rubbing his face gently, he could see blood near his nose.  
"You're invisible!" he yelled.  
**"Ha ha, glad you caught on." Nero **appeared behind him. James turned and threw a punch towards him, who suddenly vanished.  
"What the!?" before James could react in disbelief, he was suddenly struck upside the head, sending him crashing into the ground.

**"Unfortunately James,"** Nero started. **"You can't beat me. I know more about these powers than you do. I started out as Artificial Intelligence, while you're just a human. You can't keep up with my superior thinking speed, meaning you'll always be a step behind."  
**As James was slowly getting up, Nero warped in front of him and grabbed the front of his costume with one hand, lifting him up.  
**"You see James," Nero** pulled him close to his face. **"Just because you have the energy of a superhero, doesn't make you one. It just makes you a pretender. You see, I'm a true villain by the stereotype, because I am an extraordinary being. You're just a human with heightened senses and stronger energy. You may rank above normal humans, but you would be the weakest of the superheroes we know. Superman could kill you with a finger. Batman's intellect is superior to you. He's also trained with the best, and learned the best. You've done nothing!"**

While saying this, he took his free hand and delivered a devastating punch to his stomach, breaking half of his ribs.

"AAAHHH!" James yelled in pain.

"**Foolish one." Nero **scoffed. **"Green Lantern? He's part of the Green Lantern Corps. He's learned so much about the universe and how it works. Hawkgirl has plenty of experience in fighting. She's tough, she's seen a lot more than you could ever imagine. Wonder Woman, a powerful amazon who is one of if not the strongest woman the galaxy has ever seen. The only one you'd probably stand a chance is the Flash. He's an idiot who can run a marathon and can throw bad puns at you. But even he is faster than you, so it probably wouldn't matter."  
**He raised his fist and punched him in the same area again, causing James to spit blood out. He moaned in pain, barely able to keep functioning.  
"**Why am I telling you this?" Nero** asked. **"Simple, because even if you were to defeat me, you wouldn't be accepted as a hero like all those others have. You just happened to be the one that got kidnapped and experimented on. You're nothing special.**

James coughed up more blood. Despite the Solarium in his body, his body was still being broken, and Nero knew it. He couldn't just heal himself right then. He didn't know how. Thinking it did nothing, for it was more complex than that.  
**And don't even bother trying to rebuff me by saying you don't need these powers to be extraordinary. You were never a competent human! You couldn't keep your family together! You couldn't find a companion ONCE! What use are you to this world? And don't say that there is someone right for you on this earth. At this moment in time, (November 1, 2012), there are 6,973,738,433 people on this earth. Guess what smart one?  
That's an odd number, and you know who gets screwed out of finding someone?"**

**Nero** suddenly threw James high up into the air. He warped high into the sky and waited for his body to reach him, then he grabbed him and used both feet to kick him back down into the earth, enabling more blood and more groans from the young adult.  
**"Do you know who will die alone?" Nero **whispered into his ear. ** "With no family to comfort him, no loved one to be by his side, no help? Who is that man who is beaten, broken, battered, bruised, humiliated, and finally destroyed with nothing left?"  
**James's vision started to get blurry, for he knew this was it.  
**"You."  
**Nero grabbed James's unmoving body and threw him high into the air he charged up a large beam of red energy.

**"Goodbye, James."** He muttered.

He let all of his energy loose, straight for the falling hero.  
The explosion was enormous. It shook the ruins of the factory, sending debris into the air. Nero could see the body falling to the ground hard.  
Nero then charged up again, this time even more power than last time.  
**"Now to destroy your body!" **He yelled, releasing all the energy at once.  
But before it could reach him, a large moss monster suddenly jumped in front and took the blast, causing it to explode into pieces.  
"**What the!?"** Before Nero realized what had happened, a large vine wrapped around him, and stuck to him tight. Another vine caught James's body before it hit the ground, then an arrow struck his neck.  
"OW! Release me NOW!" He yelled to no one.

"That's enough!" A woman's voice spoke.  
He looked, and Poison Ivy was standing there arms folded.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Emotion

Nero chuckled. **"Well well…if it isn't the Obsessive Compulsive plant user…"  
**Poison Ivy quickly threw a small smoke grenade at him, which exploded right in his face.  
"You're now infected with TWO poisons." Ivy said. "One to slow down your nerves, the other is destroying your lungs. Soon you won't be able to move OR breathe!"  
Nero's chuckle turned into a loud laugh, he quickly ripped the vine holding him to pieces. Landing on the ground, he started walking towards the plant user.  
**"You really think something as petty as that can stop me? You forget, my Solarium can destroy those poisons in an instant!"  
**A red aura formed around him. He breathed in and out, much like James did.  
**"See? Lung poison gone." He boasted. "And now…"**

A small smile appeared on Ivy's face. _"Arrogant fool…"  
_A look of horror suddenly replaced Nero's face. His movements then slowed, and he fell to a small crawl. Then he was frozen, unable to move.  
"**What is the meaning of this!?" Nero** protested. "**The Solarium is infallible! How can it not work!?"  
**"Because your body is different from James's." Ivy responded. "You see while James is human but powered by the Solarium, your body was created out of pure Solarium. As a result, I modified the poison's molecular structure to fuse with the Solarium directly. So now you can't free yourself from the poison because the Solarium IS the poison! All you'll be able to move now is your face and mouth."

He suddenly started laughing maniacally.  
**"So you've figured out a weakness representative of only my body. So what?"** **Nero replied. "Don't you see? My Solarium body is always changing and mutating. Soon, it'll be able to throw off the poison and restart my body. You've only bought yourself a little bit of time. It doesn't matter! James is already dead!"  
**Ivy gasped, and looked at the vine that caught his body. His body was broken in many places. Ribs, shoulders, thighs, plenty was damaged. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed some moss and created three more giant monsters with it. The three creatures grabbed Nero and started beating up on him and taking him to a distance away from James's body.  
"James!" Ivy shouted. "Please don't be dead, please don't be dead! We've already done so much in one night! Open your eyes!"  
She took out a pill and shoved it into his mouth. With a few small slaps to his face, he managed to swallow it down.  
"Come on James! Wake up please!" She cried out.  
He blinked slowly, and opened his eyes completely.  
_"Ugh…" he groaned. "W-what happened? Am I dead?"  
_"Ivy…" he moaned. "What…are you…doing here?"  
She smiled. "I'm here to help you. The pill I gave you is a regenerative pill. Your bones should be repairing themselves right now."  
Immediately, he could start feeling the pain ebbing away. James started moving his legs, then his arms, then felt his stomach, and saw his ribs had all reassembled themselves.

He stood up from the vine that rescued him.  
_"Something's different…" He thought. "I feel…stronger. I feel lighter! What's this change?"  
_He looked around, and saw that his vision had sharpened even further. He flew high into the air, and noticed that his maximum speed had increased drastically.  
James then landed, and looked at the frozen Nero in the distance.  
"Did you do this?" he asked, pointing at the moss giants punching the frozen Nero.  
"I did. But it's only temporary, he's going to get free very soon." Ivy said.  
She was suddenly greeted by a hug. James held her tightly.  
"Thank you…" he whispered. "You saved my life."

"No James…you saved _my _life." Ivy said. "And call me Pam from now on. I realized that I was stuck in an endless cycle of violence that culminated in me being put in Arkham again and again and again. "I realize now that I haven't gotten any closer to saving the plants than I did when I first started his activity. No, there are better ways to save nature. Murder isn't the way to do it. So thank _you_ James, for opening my eyes."

James smiled genuinely. "I'm very touched Pam."  
"Now let's win!" Pam encouraged.  
"Wait." He interrupted. "Just one question."  
"Hmm?" She wondered  
"How do you know my real name?" James asked.  
She looked at him seriously.  
"Look that night…" Pam said. "I remembered your face."  
He gasped. _"Oh damn it! It failed!"  
_"Also, Nero's been calling you James all this time." She added. "So I figured he must be talking to you."  
"Oh…" James replied. "Well I—"  
She gave him a quick kiss on the mouth and ran after her moss monsters.  
"Come on!" Pam called. "Let's talk later!"  
Stunned, James touched his lip for a moment, then quickly snapped out of it. He grew serious, and flew after Ivy.

* * *

Batman swung high and tackled a group of criminals trying to break into a jewelry store. Despite being surrounded, Batman leaped and kicked the shoulders of the guy in front of him, then back flipped and kicked the mook behind him. He then caught another punch and swung him into his other friends.  
"Hiyyaahh!" Robin kicked another one into a wall and past Batman.

Batgirl and Catwoman fought back-to-back, surrounded by 30 gangsters.  
"I saw that little flirting there you know." Batgirl said, irritated.  
"Awww. Is the little bird girl jealous?" The feline taunted.  
"Don't push it. He's mine!" She shot back.  
"Is he? Well see if you can actually fight first." Catwoman challenged.  
Batgirl smirked. "Just watch me."  
They both flew forward and attacked swiftly.

At the same time, Nightwing was on the rooftops with Commissioner Gordon's police force, fighting off Rupert Thorne's thugs.  
Nightwing ducked under an attempted tackle of one of the thugs, then grabbed his legs and threw him into his other cronies.  
"You'd think Thorne was less cowardly than this, letting his men fight while he hides away." Gordon said while shooting at a group of other thugs behind cover.  
"Ha, he can't fight anyway so he'd be in over his head." He replied smugly. "Let's just finish this."

* * *

Nero smashed through the first monster, then blasted the second one to pieces with both of his hands. Finally, he flipped the third monster over and stepped on it, killing it.  
Before he could finish, a large yellow blast struck his back and smashed him into some rubble. Angrily, he broke out and looked around where the blast came from, but found nothing.  
Suddenly, moss wrapped around him and electrocuted him.  
**"ARRRGHH!" **He yelled, falling to his knees.  
He had no time to recuperate when he felt a boot smash onto his back, forcing him to the ground.  
**"GRAAHH!" **He yelled again.

James grabbed Nero's neck and punched him hard in the jaw, sending him flying into the air. Chasing after him, he flew up and kicked him higher and higher into the air, until he stopped below him and blasted him with a large beam of yellow energy.  
_"Wow!" he thought, amazed. "I can sense his energy now! He's not invisible to me anymore…Plus I've become faster! Even with his superior brain power, he can't match up to my speed now!"  
_The dark warrior fell, but not before James caught him and latched onto him. He then pointed both he and Nero towards the ground, and started falling fast towards the surface.  
**"W-what are you doing!?"** **Nero stammered**.  
"What does it look like genius?" James shot back. "Pile driving you straight to the ground! And don't even think about escaping, I've got you secure."  
**"GGGRRAARRGHH!" He yelled **as his head struck the ground at an intense speed, causing a massive shockwave  
James jumped off the unmoving body and looked at him.  
Nero rolled on his back, and struggled to his feet.  
**"Y-you-!" Nero stammered. You're still alive!"**

"No shit Sherlock." James muttered. "By the way, what did you say earlier about me? That rant about me being a pretender and a weak human? How did it go again? Oh yes, I remember…"

**Chapter 14**

**_"And don't even bother trying to rebuff me by saying you don't need these powers to be extraordinary." Nero said. You were never a competent human! You couldn't keep your family together! You couldn't find a companion ONCE! What use are you to this world? And don't say that there is someone right for you on this earth. At this moment in time, (November 11, 2012), there are 6,973,738,433 people on this earth. Guess what smart one? _**

**_That's an odd number, and you know who gets screwed out of finding someone?"_**

**_"You."_**

"You know…" James's body started to shake. "If you're…gonna insult someone's pride...and his loved ones like that…"  
James's eyes started to turn red in complete rage.  
"Expect repercussions!" He yelled.  
Pam ran next to him.  
"James! Wait don't!" she protested.  
"Don't worry Pam…" he said. "I can control it now. I can use this power the right way now. Let me handle him now, I can fight him on my own."  
She looked into his eyes for a moment, then nodded and retreated.

_"The fact in the matter is, that anger will always be there, but you can learn to adapt to it and control it. It is something I was never able to do, but you still can."_ Harvey Dent's voice echoed in his head.  
After that, he heard Harley Quinn's quote:  
_"Besides, isn't there a little crazy in all of us?"  
_He closed his eyes, and let the fury wash through him.  
_"This time…I'll control my rage and turn it into power!" James figured. "This rage is powerful…but your wrong Nero, it is not my strongest emotion…"_

"RRAAAAARRRGGGGHH!" James roared into the dark sky, and floated above him.  
"W-what!?" Nero stumbled surprised. "How are you doing this!?"  
"Channeling my anger in the right way!" James yelled. "Now, I'll kick your ass!"  
He suddenly grabbed Nero and kicked him high into the air. Warping in front of him, he started punching every part of his body that he could reach. He then grabbed the dark warrior's legs, spun him around, and threw him towards the ground. He smashed into the ground so hard, the remaining rooms that still stood in the destroyed factory collapsed completely.

_"Now Nero…the real fight begins!" James commanded._


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Different Ways to Win

Nero flew at full speed towards James and fired a tremendous red blast of energy towards him. James leaped high in the air to escape the blast, and countered with his own energy blast. Nero was forced to dodge upwards where James was, enabling him to deliver a tornado kick onto his chest, sending him smashing into the ground.

He staggered back up again and roared at him.  
"**YOU THINK YOU HAVE ME!?" **He yelled. "**WE HAVEN'T EVEN STAR—"  
**Before he could finish his rant, James had warped right in front of him.  
Gasping, he staggered backwards.  
"I think I do." James interrupted, walking forwards. "You see unlike last time, I can sense where you go. I can keep up with your speed. Your energy is no longer a mystery. The surprises are over Nero, you can't win."  
"But neither can you." Nero shot back. "You may have the upper hand right now, but you're still a human. Eventually your stamina will start to wane, causing you to move slower and slower. But me, I'm pure Solarium. I can regenerate as much as I want. Every hit I take from you won't matter, for I'll regenerate that in a second. This battle is still not yours to win James!"  
Nero flew forward and tried to punch at his face, but James blocked it and kicked him far away.

"He's right James." Batman's voice came over the speaker in his ear.  
"Batman!" James called. "He's actually telling the truth!? Then what am I supposed to do!?"  
"There is a way to win." He replied. "When I was examining the chip that was in your brain days ago, I found out that when it latched onto one of your emotions, it infected itself with your rage and anger. But it's only a virus that is controlling Nero right now. What you're fighting now is actually a possessed form of the real Nero."  
"W-what!?" He stuttered. "You mean he's not really like this!?"  
"No, he is not." Batman replied. "The real Nero is in there, but you need to pry him out. Then once the virus is separated from its host, then you can contain and destroy it."

"Ahh…" James understood. "But how do I do that?"  
"You'll need to exorcise the virus out of Nero when you find an opening. A moment of weakness, and take it."  
"Got it." He replied. "A moment of wea—"  
"**JAMES!" **Nero's voice called.  
He turned, and was holding Poison Ivy by the throat!  
"No!" James flew at full speed towards them.  
"**STOP where you are! Or she dies!" **Nero demanded.  
He stopped. "You're every cliché and stereotype a villain has!"  
"**I don't care!" **Nero yelled. **"Now stand still!"  
**He used his free hand and aimed his palm at James. Red energy started to form in it.  
"J-James!" Pam coughed. "D-don't worry about m-me! Just g-get him!"

"Shut up!" Nero broke eye contact and threw her on the ground.  
At that moment, he saw it.  
_"His heart!" James thought. "Well not his heart, but his core! He broke concentration for a second! NOW!"  
_Suddenly, James warped right in front of Nero, lit up his hands in energy, and plunged them deep into the dark warrior's chest.  
**"GRRAAARRGHH!" **He yelled. **"What are you doing!?"  
**"Freeing the real you!" James replied. "You're not the real Nero! Just possessed!"  
"**S-Stop!" Nero **protested weakly. **"N-No!"**

"James!" Batman radioed in.  
"I'm a little busy Batman!" James struggled. "I'm exorcising Nero!"  
"I know, but there's one last thing you must know. Alfred has given me the last of the data on Nero. It turns out that when you exorcise Nero, he won't be able to survive."  
"W-WHAT!?" James stammered. "You're telling me this NOW!?"  
"Look James," Batman started. "You need to find a way to keep him alive, the virus that possessed Nero is what has kept him stable. Without it, he'll die."  
"W-what do you expect me to do then!?" He protested.  
"I…don't know." Batman replied uncertainly.  
"Are you serious!? You don't know!?" James struggled angrily. "What now!?"  
But then an epiphany crossed his mind.  
_"Wait…" he thought. "Before this battle, before Nero had freed himself from my mind, he was able to survive inside me. If this works, then maybe…"_

"I have an idea." He radioed in.  
James then started spreading his hands outward, feeling two tugs of energy on each of his hands. He spread further, and further outward. Soon, he could see blue energy emerging out of the dark warrior.  
_"Yes! It's working!" He thought.  
_He increased his energy and started spreading his hands harder and harder. James could now hear the voice of an unrecognizable person trying to free himself.  
"H-help me!" The voice stammered.  
**"No! Stop!" Nero yelled.  
**With a mighty heave, he forcefully yanked both bodies apart. Blue energy flew towards the ground, while **Nero **started changing in front of his eyes. He no longer looked like a person, but had morphed into something else…  
"Gah!" he gasped. "He looks like a bacteriophage*!"  
The figure roared at him and charged. Acting quickly, James slammed his hands together and trapped the virus in a force field.

**_*Bacteriophage: Biology term for a virus that infects bacteria_**

The virus struggled and banged against the field, but to no avail. James then closed his hands together, and the force field crushed the dark energy, destroying it.  
With a final yell, the dark Nero was gone.  
James looked at the blue energy floating in front of him.  
"T-thank you…" it spoke.  
"You're welcome, but we're not done yet." He replied. "You won't last for much longer in this state. I have an idea…"

* * *

Batman, Robin, and Batgirl drove in the batmobile as fast as possible to the factory wreckage with Nightwing on the roof.  
"How is he?" Batgirl asked nervously.  
"He's fine. Nero is gone he says." Batman replied.  
Robin pumped a fist into the air.  
"All right James!" he whooped. "He beat him!"  
"There's more." Batman said. "Even though the dark energy is gone, there's still the freed energy that's slowly dying. I'm not sure what James is going to do with that energy…"

"Blue energy?" Robin questioned.  
"You see the dark warrior Nero you saw earlier was actually a possessed form of the real Nero. When he freed himself from James, he looked exactly like him. But that shouldn't be. It turns out, that's not what he really looks like."  
"Oh?" Batgirl wondered.  
"The real 'Nero' was never a living being, it was a chip that was injected into James's brain when he was captured and fused with the Solarium. But not only was James infused with it the chip did too. So the chip formed its own personality. But since it had latched onto his 'rage' emotion, it mutated. A virus then developed and corrupted the new personality. So technically, its name isn't even 'Nero'. Where he got that name I have no idea."

"Maybe just a random name he pulled out of the air?" Batgirl suggested.  
"Perhaps." Batman said. "Also, when the chip formed its own personality, it started to struggle for freedom on its own accord. It wanted its own life, not to be stuck in someone else's mind. But that was the virus talking. The real personality was dormant when it took over. It had no trained thought, or to have the will to fight back. Because of that, we all assumed that this evil Nero was really who he was."

"Ohhhh." Robin said. "So now that the evil Nero is gone, what's left?"  
"That's the issue." Batman replied. "Now that the virus possessing the personality is gone, it has nothing left other than a personality with no body. By now, its resolve must have changed."

"Interesting." Batgirl quipped. "You think he'd try to go back to James?"  
Batman's eyes widened. He hadn't thought of that.  
_"Return to James's mind?" _he thought. _"Why would he…? Unless that was the only way for him to survive…But he'd then try to find a way to free himself later…Or does he really want to stay with James? Does he even want any of this in the first place?"  
_"We'll see when we get there." He said finally. "I may have means of sustaining the energy just in case. Back when I radioed James, I said I didn't know. I still don't, but it's a start."  
"Look! There he is!" Nightwing called from on top of the Batmobile.  
Everyone looked, and there was James standing there next to Pam.  
"Hey, why is he glowing blue?" Robin asked.

"That must mean…" Batgirl started.  
"The energy is now inside James again…" Batman finished.

* * *

_A few minutes earlier…  
_"So what do you think?" James asked. "You must decide quickly, for I don't know how long you'll be able to last."  
"I commend your reasoning." The voice said. "And I heartily agree, I do not wish to live among this population. I feel that I would get in the way of society anyway."  
James held his hands in front of him.  
"Wait a minute! That's not what I meant!" he protested. "I was just saying…you know—"  
The voice laughed. "I'm only jesting. Let me explain. If I were to have a body and life of my own, I would've preferred to start off at the very beginning, like any other human would. Starting off now would be pointless, and it would be too much of a hassle. However, I do hold many abilities that are valuable to you."  
"Oh? Like what?" James asked.  
"It's really a theory, but if Nero was able to free himself from your mind, then I can probably free myself and control other things."

"I'm confused." James said.  
"Well you know how Batman has his supercomputer?" the voice asked. "I can assimilate myself into the system and control it."  
He gasped. "W-wha—Really!?"  
"Indeed I c-ca—." Suddenly, the energy started to sputter.  
"Oh crap!" James cried out. "Ok you agree, you got cool powers and you want to come back, got it!"  
Quickly, James reached out and touched the blue energy with his right hand. Immediately, the energy encircled him and fused with him.

"Whoa!" He gasped. James was now glowing blue.  
"I'm here." The voice spoke in his mind.  
"Alright! It worked!" He said happily. "By the way, you don't have a name anymore. I don't think you'd want 'Nero' again…"  
He heard the voice chuckle.  
"Indeed I don't." it said. "How about…Alcor?"  
He stopped. "_Alcor…?"  
_"Where's that from?" James asked.  
"A star in the Solar System." The voice replied.

"Hmmm…I like it!" He said.  
"James!" Pam called.  
He turned and saw Pam running towards him.  
"Pam!" James called back. "It's over!"  
She threw her arms around him and wrapped him in a hug.  
"I'm so glad…" she whispered.  
"So am I." He whispered back.  
"By the way." Pam started. "When you recovered from that blast and started fighting him again, you looked stronger and faster! What happened?"  
"I don't know really…" James wondered. "I'm wondering that myself too. Maybe I get stronger every time I get beaten to near death?"  
She shrugged. "I don't know. Whatever, we'll deal with that later."  
He chuckled. "Yeah! Let's go home…"

"James."

They both turned, and saw Batman, Robin, Batgirl, and Nightwing emerging from the Batmobile.  
"Guys!" He called. "We did it! We won!"  
"Indeed we have." Batman replied, walking towards him. "But there's one thing I must ask."  
"Yes, Batman?" He asked.  
"What did you do with the personality?" He asked.  
James pointed to his head.  
"He's back here now, and his name is Alcor." He said.  
"Alcor? What a weird name!" Robin quipped.  
"Hey hey now bird boy." James replied. "Let's leave it there."

"Argh!" Batgirl groaned. "What a way to start off vacation! A big invasion of supervillains and…Ivy!"  
Pam stood next to James, a hand on his shoulder.  
"Why hello there bird girl…" Pam muttered.  
Robin readied battle position.  
"James! That's Poison Ivy!" He warned. "She needs to-!"  
"Easy Robin, I know who she is." James interrupted. "And we're together.  
"WHAT!?" Robin and Batgirl exploded.  
"I'll explain everything later." He said.

"Batgirl, may I speak to you in private for a moment?" Nightwing asked.  
"Um…sure." She replied nervously.

* * *

Nightwing and Batgirl walked around some ruins, not saying anything until…  
"Look Barbara—" He started.  
"I know what you're gonna say." She cut in. "You're worried about me because of Batman?"  
He sighed. "Yes."  
"I understand." Barbara replied. "But please listen. Bruce and I have something real. He's not trying to manipulate me or control me in any way. I'm smarter than that. I know you and Bruce have had your differences for a long time, but things are different now. I'm not asking you to make up with him right away, but maybe sometime in the future…"

Her voice trailed off. Dick looked at her.

"I just don't want you to get hurt!" He protested. "I mean that nightmare you had when you were gassed by the Scarecrow (The New Batman adventures: Over The Edge episode) could actually happen!"  
"I know that. I know that completely." Barbara replied. "What about you? You could be killed tomorrow too. I could be the one to grieve over _your_ body. I know you've been fighting crime longer than I have, but the stakes are equally as high for both of us. We can't let what we fear _might_ happen hold us back, we need to take this one day at a time and do what's right for Gotham."  
Dick said nothing. What was left to say? Barbara had already said everything that needed to be said.

"Look Dick." She continued. "I love Bruce, and he loves me. But trust me, I know exactly what I'm getting into. And I'm ready to face any challenges that come our way. There's no need to be worried anymore. I can handle myself."  
"Yeah…" Dick replied. "You're right. I respect your decision."  
"Thanks Dick." Barbara said.  
They hugged each other, and made their way back to the others.

* * *

"You guys ready?" James called when Dick and Barbara returned. "Let's go home!"  
"Wait." Batman said. "Poison Ivy…"  
"Oh Batman?" Pam asked coyly. "Going to cart me back to Arkham? After all I have done to help save this city?"  
"Come on Batman." James begged. "Isn't there something you can do?"  
"I'm outside the law remember? I'm not involved with the law, I just follow it." He replied. "You're going to have to finish your sentence sooner or later."

"True, but not now!" James picked up Pam bridal style and flew high in to the air and towards the city.  
Batman shook his head, and a small smile appeared on his face.

_"Kids these days…"_


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Loose Ends  
**Time: 4:30 p.m. Two Weeks Later**

"How's the cure coming along Bruce?" James asked.  
"Almost done." He replied. "With Alcor's help, we should have this finished real soon."  
"Why thank you Bruce." Alcor's voice came out of the supercomputer.

After the battle, Poison Ivy/Pam was returned to Arkham to finish her sentence. Luckily the timing was solid for her sentence ended up finishing next week, getting off early for unexpected "good behavior." Afterwards, she had returned to her greenhouse to care for her plants. James was supposed to visit her after he made his trip to Arkham. Before that however, he needed to make two other trips. The first was to Grace, Harvey Dent's lover. The second was his mother's apartment. That trip was overdue, and he knew it.

"I'll tell you what." Bruce started. "You go visit Grace and your mother first, and I'll let you know when the cure is complete."  
"Alright, sounds good!" James said. "Good luck Alcor, Bruce."  
"Have a pleasant trip James." Alcor said.  
"Thanks Alcor! See ya!"

* * *

James/Valiant Warrior flew at full speed towards his mother's apartment. He decided to visit his mother first before going to Grace's house. James actually felt nervous, for he hadn't spoken to his mother in quite a few years.  
Before he knew it, he was standing outside her door. Just as he was about to knock, he heard yelling inside.  
"Don't come any closer!" he heard his mother shout. "Take a step closer, and I'll shoot!"  
He gasped. "_What!? Shoot!?"  
_James ran to a nearby window, and saw two men with crowbars walking closer to his mother Amy, who was holding a gun.  
He gritted his teeth. _"How dare they!?"_

He decided to keep his Valiant costume on. He burst through the door and confronted both burglars.  
"That's enough!" Valiant demanded. "Get out now!"  
"Who's this guy?" one of the burglars asked.  
"Dunno, get him!" the other yelled.  
Both of them ran towards him and threw punches at him. Valiant easily blocked them and kicked them both outside. He then opened his utility belt and threw two bat-lassos and tied both crooks up.  
"Hey! You little-!"  
Valiant quickly knocked both of them out before they could say anything else.

"Hmph." He muttered as he walked back to the apartment.  
He looked and saw Amy hadn't moved.  
"Thank you." She said. "But who are you?"  
**(Note: Just like all the other heroes, James disguises his voice as Valiant**)  
"Just another Samaritan." Valiant said.  
Amy walked up to him, and looked into his eyes. Before he knew it, she had slapped across his face.  
"Ow! What was that for!?" Valiant cried out.  
"James Davis! I know that is you under that mask! Remove it!" She demanded.  
"Alright alright!" James removed his mask, confirming his mother's suspicions.  
"Oh my god James!" She ran over and hugged him tightly.  
"It's…nice to meet you…too!" James stammered through the tight hug.  
"That's been you all this time?" She cried out. "I thought so!"

"What gave it away?" James asked.  
"Why, I brought you into this world, you think I wouldn't know what you looked like?" Amy replied.  
_"Fair point." He thought  
_"Your father told me you were coming." She continued. "I'm sure he knows who you are too."  
James chuckled. "Nothing gets past you two huh?"  
She laughed. "Indeed."  
"You seem in great spirits!" He acknowledged.  
"I am! Things are finally mending between your father and I, and we've been talking more often. I take it he told you about the court case?"  
"He did, and it's astounding how that worked out for you both!" James said, impressed.  
"Well since then, things have been up." Amy said. "Hopefully this trend can continue for the better."  
"I have faith in you both." He agreed.

"Now about this superhero business…" She started.  
James cringed. _"Oh great. This is always the hardest part…"  
_"You're an adult. I respect any decision you make. That won't make me worry any less, but I support you every step of the way." She finished.  
This surprised him. He had thought she would fight against him being in this business.  
_"I nearly died for god sake…" He thought. "But I think it's best she didn't know that…"  
_"Thanks mom." James said.  
"Your welcome James." She replied. "Now I believe you have somewhere to be? Maybe a girlfriend?"  
His eyes widened."Err…well…I do have somewhere to be…"  
She laughed. "Go on then. I'll be here if you ever want to visit."  
He smiled. "Thanks a lot mom."  
"Anytime."  
They embraced in an affectionate hug, said their final goodbyes, and he was off.

* * *

Grace sat in her home drinking some coffee and reading the paper. It read:

**Batman and the Valiant Warrior?**

_Yesterday, a rogue warrior named "Nero" attacked Gotham City. With little information to go by this villain, it is reported that a possible new hero named "Valiant Warrior" has defeated him. Some are questioning whether this new masked "hero" is either a savior or a threat to the city. Commissioner Gordon had no comment.  
"What, another costumed freak?" Detective Harvey Bullock had said. "What's with Gotham and costumes eh? Some new fashion trend or somethin'?"_

_Nonetheless, this new "Valiant Warrior" has become very popular with the masses. Seeing as this isn't the first sighting of this new "Warrior," his popularity only spread faster along the kids and young adults alike. It's too early to call, but many are beginning to feel that crime will soon be contained completely with this new hero helping Batman and Company…_

Grace chuckled. "New hero? Fodder for the media…"  
Suddenly, all of her windows were smashed open. At the same time, her door was busted ajar.  
She gasped, standing up quickly. Immediately, crooks surrounded her.  
"N-no! Wait! Stop!" but her protesting did little, for the men quickly tied her up and hauled her into a van. Kicking and screaming, she tried to get the attention of any random person on the street.  
"HELP! HELP ME!" She shouted as loud as she could.  
"Someone shut her up!" One of the men ordered.  
"HELP! HE-mmph!" Her mouth was taped shut.  
Grace was then thrown into the back of the van and it drove off.

* * *

James/Valiant flew out of the Batcave, carrying some of the cure that was finally finished in his utility belt. Finally, Harvey Dent will no longer be Two-Face.  
"_This is fantastic!" He thought. "Finally we have the means to cure Harvey! I'm gonna pay Grace a visit first and tell her the good news!"  
_He flew faster towards her house, and reached there in no time. When he landed, he could tell immediately something was amiss.  
He looked around, and saw the windows have been smashed open, and the door was damaged.  
"Oh no…" He groaned. "Batman! I think Grace has been kidnapped!"  
"She what!?" Batman's voice came over the com-link.  
"Yeah! I can see tire tracks leading somewhere!" James added. "I'm gonna follow—"  
"No don't." Batman interrupted. "Go to Arkham and deliver that cure. I'll call up Batgirl and we'll go after them."  
"Okay." Valiant agreed. "I'm off to Arkham."

* * *

Grace struggled against her bindings as she was carried out of the van and into a warehouse.  
She was placed on a chair in a small room with a small table. Ripping off the tape, she immediately protested.  
"What's the meaning of this!?" She struggled angrily. "What have I done to you!?"  
"Oh you haven't done anything yet my dear." Said a familiar voice.  
She gasped. _"I know that voice…"  
_Grace squinted her eyes, and gasped.

"You!"

* * *

Batman and Batgirl raced down the streets of Gotham in the Batmobile, following the trail of skid marks from the van.  
"Who would kidnap Grace?" Batgirl wondered.  
"I have a better question for you." Batman said. "Who _wouldn't_ kidnap Grace?"  
"Well that marks off pretty much all the villains except…"  
She gaped. "No…Two-Face!"  
"Looks like you figured it out. Good job." He complimented.  
"Oh! Well…thanks!" She stammered, blushing.  
"Even though it wasn't that tough…" He added sarcastically.  
"Oh you shut up!" She giggled.

He chuckled. "Anyway, it looks like they've taken her to a warehouse where…"  
Batman suddenly gasped. _"Oh no! That's where—!"  
_"What's wrong?" Batgirl asked.  
"They've taken her to the same place where Harvey Dent had his accident!" He replied.  
She gasped loudly.  
"Oh no! That means-!"

He nodded. "They're going to try to do the same to Grace. Call James and tell him to turn back!"


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Truly Forgiven

"Are you serious!?" James exploded. "That's f*cked up!"  
"Hey! Easy on the language!" Batgirl radioed from the other end.  
"Sorry, just surprised is all." He replied. "I'm going to radio in Alcor and bring him with me."  
He switched lines and called Alcor, who was still in the batcave.  
"Alcor! I need your help." James said.  
"What is the issue James?" Alcor spoke from the other end.  
"Grace has been kidnapped!" He replied. "Batman and Batgirl are on their way, you coming?"  
"Oh that's horrible! I'm on my way; one moment." Alcor said.  
In a flash, he had traveled wirelessly and fused with James, emitting a brief glow before disappearing.  
"Alright! Let's do this!" James turned and flew at full speed towards his coordinates.

* * *

"Harvey, why are you doing this!?" Grace protested.  
"HARVEY DENT IS DEAD!" Two-Face roared. "You see, now instead of Harvey's lover, you will be MY lover!"  
"W-what!?" She gasped. Grace was suddenly lifted and carried to a larger room with a large table. She was then placed on it, and untied, but only to be chained to the table itself. Then, one of the cronies placed a square mold separated into two halves on her face.  
Immediately, she figured out what they were going to do.  
"No, w-wait p-please!" She stuttered. "Harvey, there's a better way!"  
"No, you're WRONG!" Two-Face shouted. "Now, instead of Harvey and you, it'll be me and a brand new you! You will no longer be Grace, but someone far more useful!"

"NOOOOO!"

Suddenly, two Batarangs flew out of the darkness and knocked the guns out of the two cronies guarding him.  
They looked, and saw Batman with Batgirl standing on a catwalk above them.  
"Harvey! Stop!" Batman protested.  
"Get them!" Two-Face ordered.  
The doors opened and more mooks came out. Both caped crusaders jumped off the catwalk and started brawling with them. Despite them being outnumbered, the cronies were no match for the more refined martial arts of Batman and Batgirl. Soon they were all incapacitated.  
"Batman!"  
They turned, and saw Two-Face holding a bucket of acid over Grace.  
"No!" Batgirl cried out.  
"Don't move, for I will make her a two-face like myself! If you disarm me, I'll drop the bucket and her face will be damaged forever!

Batman gritted his teeth. Two-Face had him. He couldn't risk him dropping the bucket and damaging Grace's face. He had to think of something!  
"Now my dear…" Two-Face slowly tipped the bucket over her face.  
"NOOOOO!" She cried out.  
The acid started flowing out of the bucket. But then, it froze in midair.  
"W-what the!?" He said, surprised. "Why isn't the acid flowing!? Is it stuck!?

"Nope, just me." A voice called out of the darkness.

The acid suddenly retreated back into the bucket, and the bucket flew out of his hands.  
"What!? YOU!" Two-Face pointed.  
They looked, and saw the Valiant Warrior standing on the same catwalk with his hand out.  
"Looks like I made it in time." He said. "Do your worst Batman."  
Complying, he leaped forward and tackled Two-Face and started beating him up.  
Batgirl quickly unchained Grace from her confines.  
"Are you alright?" She asked.  
"Yes, thank you, all three of you!" She said sighing.  
"Please Grace, don't blame Harvey for this." Valiant floated down next to Batgirl.  
"His personality was just getting desperate."  
"Why?" She asked.  
"We found a cure for Harvey!" Batgirl replied.

Grace gasped.

"Y-you did!? That's wonderful!"  
"That's probably the reason why Two-Face decided to abduct you, to keep us from administering the cure." Batman spoke as he walked towards them, a handcuffed and unconscious Two-Face behind him. "Even if his face was repaired, it wouldn't have suppressed his anger issue. It would only look as if Harvey was the one doing all these horrifying crimes. But with this cure, it should rid him of that rage problem and bring him back to normal."  
"I have the cure, let's do this!" Valiant said.  
She nodded.

* * *

It took a while to subdue Two-Face. Despite Batman being superior to him in fighting skills, he still struggled crazily in an attempt to break free. Eventually he was unconscious, and was tied down to a hospital bed in Arkham. James gave the doctors the antidote, and they began their work. This was a two-part surgery; for first they were going to apply the antidote first, then fix the messed up half of his face second.

Grace, Bruce, Tim, Barbara, and James (with Alcor in tow) sat outside the Operating Room, nervous about the impending possibilities.  
"Hope this cure works…" James muttered. "Maybe this time will be the last."  
"We thought that the last time." Barbara muttered.  
"Yeah I know." He replied. "But that was different, he escaped the hospital before."  
"This isn't helping guys…" Tim groaned.  
"Tim's right." Bruce added. "We need to pull through and hope everything works out."  
"Bruce is right James." Alcor said in his mind. "This cure should work out well. Bruce and I were able to work out the irregularities in the formula."  
"So this will definitely work?" James asked.  
"…Theoretically." He replied uncertainly.  
"Theoretically!?"  
"94.7% chance of success."  
"Makes me feel better."  
"Does it?"  
"Barely."  
"Thought so."  
"Oh Harvey…" Grace moaned. "Please be alright…"

The surgery took over 3 hours. Still, barely a move was made from their seats. Eventually, the double doors opened and the main surgeon stood there.  
Immediately, everyone stood up.  
"Is he…?" Bruce started.

"He's going to be fine." The surgeon says. "His face is completely repaired, but we are still unsure on his condition. We won't know until he wakes up and starts talking. He's asleep right now; we won't take visitors until another half hour. Still recovering from the anesthesia."  
"Is he still tied down?" Barbara asked.  
"Yes he is." The surgeon replied. "If he really is cured, then we'll release him. If not, we'll have to keep him there for now."  
"What!?" Tim protested. "But-!"  
"No choice Tim." James interrupted. "If he's still dangerous, he could go on a killing spree and slaughter all the doctors. Plus…"  
His voice trailed off while looking at Grace.

Grace said nothing. She had nothing else to say. If Harvey were really cured, then that would solve everything. If not…  
"That's enough!" Barbara broke in. "He's going to be fine!"  
_"…Right?" _James finished in his mind  
Half and hour later, the surgeon returned.

"Harvey Dent is waking up." He said.

* * *

The group of 5 walked into the hospital room with the surgeon following behind cautiously watching the sleeping Harvey stirring. They huddled around the bed, and watched him wake up.  
"Errrgh…" Harvey Dent groaned as he opened his eyes. He looked around at the five around his bed.  
"Bruce! Grace!" He exclaimed, sitting up suddenly.  
Everyone sighed in relief.  
"He's back." Bruce said.  
"Oh thank God…" Barbara said, relieved.  
"How are you feeling honey?" Grace asked.  
"Oh Grace!" Harvey wrapped his arms around her and hugged. Hugging back, a tear fell from one of her eyes.

A sentimental moment, best left for the two lovers, enabled the others to leave the room and give them their space.

Suddenly, Alcor spoke in his mind.  
"James**." **Alcor said. "Aren't you forgetting about Pamela?"  
He gasped. He had forgotten that he was supposed to visit.  
Just then, his cell phone rang.

"Hello?"  
"James, where are you?" Pam's voice sounded.  
"Sorry, had a run in with Two-Face. Guess what? He's been cured!"  
"Really? That's great!" She acknowledged.  
"I know! Listen, I'm on my way. I'll see you soon."  
"I'll be waiting!"  
"Got it, bye!"

After hanging up, he turned to the group.

"Guys, I gotta go." He said. "I—"  
"Go James." Bruce interrupted. "You don't need us to hold you back."  
He smiled. "Thanks."  
So he bolted into a nearby bathroom and changed into the Valiant Warrior. Flying out of Arkham, he turned his sights to the Botanical Gardens.

_"I'm coming Pam!"_

**If you're wondering why Nightwing isn't there, there's no real connection between him and Two-Face at all. That's it.**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: For All We Love

**Warning, suggestive themes coming up.  
Near the end of the chapter, when the names are in bold will signal an ending narration.**

**_Back at Arkham…  
8:30 p.m._**

"Don't worry." The surgeon said. "If any trouble sparks up, we'll call you right away. We'll handle things from here."  
Bruce nodded. "Thank you."  
So the remaining heroes left the Asylum and changed back into heroes.  
Batman, Robin, and Batgirl swung high over the city, watching its inhabitants.  
Robin yawned.  
"Oh god I'm exhausted." Robin said.  
"I think we're all tired." Batgirl agreed. "Even after Nero, one last problem jumped up and almost killed Grace."  
Batman nodded. "This time though, Harvey is finally back. And I'm confident of his recovery. Let's go back to the Batcave.

"Gladly!"

* * *

Valiant Warrior flew at full speed into the Botanical Gardens, searching for Pam.  
"Pam? Pam?" He called, looking around.  
"Over here…" her voice floated through a door nearby.  
He opened the door and gasped.  
Pamela was wearing a black lingerie, posing sexily in front of him on her bed.  
"Whoa…" was all Valiant could say.  
"Why hello sexy superhero…" She purred. "Why don't you spend the night?"  
_"Alcor…?"  
"I'm already going to sleep sir. I won't hear or see anything."  
"Whew. Thanks."  
_"Well then…I'd like that." Valiant/James said seductively, slowly sidling up to her on the bed.

**_Suggestive Themes!_**

"I know you do…" She replied coyly. "I bet I can stimulate your pheromones even more."  
"Really? How?" He asked.  
She giggled. "You see this room has a mist. When we stimulate our hormones, the mist magnifies it 2X."  
After she says this, she strips off her bra, exposing her chest to him, causing his mouth to drop open.  
_"U-unbelievable…" He thought wildly._

"You like?" She cooed.

"I love!" James said with animalistic tone. Immediately, he felt the effects of the mist. His breathing increased, his heart began to race, and Pam never looked sexier.  
He could exorcise them out, but he didn't want to. He loved this feeling.  
Greedily, he bit into her neck, enabling some loud moans from Pam. She removed his Valiant top costume and slithered her hands around his back.  
"Oh…" she continued to moan.  
"I love you Pam." James said.  
"I love you too James…" Pam cooed lovingly. "Are you ready?"  
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He asked.  
She bit into _his _neck, causing him to moan in response.  
"Who's the older one here?" Pam teased.

He chuckled. "True."

* * *

**Wayne Manor, around the same time**…  
After Tim went to bed, Bruce and Barbara sat on the couch watching a movie. Barbara laid her head on Bruce's shoulder, loving the feel of him. He responded by putting his arm around her.  
"Oh Bruce…" She moaned happily.  
He smiled back at her.  
_"I'm glad she's here…" He thought. "And with Nightwing out again, I can spend time with her tonight…"  
_"Barbara." He turned to her.  
"Yes Bruce?"

"I love you."

She sat up quickly and looked at him.  
"I love you too Bruce!"  
She jumped on his lap and kissed him deeply. Bruce wrapped his arms around her and did the same.  
_"I love Barbara Gordon. No denying it now." Bruce thought. "This just feels right."  
_For once, the pain of his parent's death seems to have dulled. First time in a long time that has happened…  
Barbara broke the kiss. "Bruce, don't worry. I'll always be here for you no matter what! My father won't get in the way."  
_"Commissioner…" he thought. "Oh I forgot to take that into account…"  
_"Thanks Barbara." He replied. "But it's going to be tough to convince him…"  
"Blah! Whatever, if he wants to complain about it, let him."

"I know it's just that…" He muttered.  
"What? Our ages?" She asked. "Come on, look at James and Pam. Same thing."  
"Similar." He corrected.  
"Whatever. Not like it matters anyway. If they can make it work, why can't we?"  
"I guess so." Bruce replied.  
"No guessing. Yes." She interrupted, looking at his eyes.

He smiled. "Okay, yes."

* * *

**_The Next Day…(Some suggestive language)_**

James opened his eyes, and looked around. He was still in Pam's room, he could tell with all the foliage around the room. He then looked to his right, and found Pam sound asleep next to him, prompting him to smile.  
_"Well, first girl that actually stayed and didn't ditch me." He thought. "Well, this was my first time…"  
_All his thoughts were suddenly brought to this realization.  
_"This was my first time…" he thought. "Oh good god…I probably sucked. Everyone does…right?"  
_He looked at the sleeping Pam again, and made up his mind.  
_"She loves me…" He thought happily. "Why don't I do something nice for her?"  
_James slowly slipped out of bed, and redressed himself into his Valiant Warrior attire. He realized that this was all he had, and decided later to get any extra clothes.  
He walked into her kitchen and looked in the fridge. He counted 9 eggs, orange juice, lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, vegetables, vegetables, vegetables. No meat whatsoever.  
_"Hmm…" he thought. "I wanted to make her scrambled eggs…but I usually use ham or turkey mixed with it. I'll have to improvise…"  
_He took out some vegetables and the eggs, and then took a medium sized bowl out.  
_"Here goes nothing…" he thought._

* * *

Pamela Isley slowly stirred in her bed, and finally opened her eyes.  
"Urrghh…" she groaned. "What a night…"  
She stopped for a second to recap the night's events…  
First, James had arrived to visit her.  
Second, they made love.  
A small blush appeared on her cheeks.  
_"He's really good …" She thought impressively. "I mean he really made me scream last night..."_

She let out a happy sigh, and then looked to her left. She noticed that James was gone.  
_"Where did he go?" She wondered. "He didn't just leave and ditch me like this did he? If he did, he'll be sorry!"_

Pam then heard footsteps coming closer to her, and James emerged carrying a tray.  
"James!" She cried out.  
"Oh you're awake, good." He nodded. "Here, I made you this."  
He set the tray up right in front of her. On it, was scrambled eggs mixed with vegetables with orange juice on the side. Also, some carrots were placed as a side dish near the eggs.  
"You know how to cook?" Pam asked, amused.  
"I know the basics." James replied. "I'm no expert, but good enough so I don't get fat or die of starvation."  
She chuckled. "Impressive."  
"It might not be if the food sucks…" He quipped.  
She giggled. "Well we'll see."  
She cut out a piece of the egg and raised the fork to her mouth. Pam could see James waiting in anticipation to hear his verdict. She bit it, and swallowed.

_"Hmm…not bad." She thought. "He must've been thrown off by my diet habits…"_

"Your kitchen ingredients limited me, plus I'm a carnivore. I love meat." He chuckled.  
"Well we might have a problem here..." She chuckled again.  
"How is it?"  
"It's good!" Pam complimented. "You rolled out a pretty good breakfast."  
"Haha thanks!" He nodded.  
She set the tray aside and looked at him.  
"By the way." Pam started. "About last night…"  
He gulped. "I…hope I wasn't too bad…"  
She laughed. "No! Quite the contrary!"  
James gasped. "R-really?"  
A large smile broke out on her face. "Where did you learn how to make love like that?"

"I improvised." He said nervously. "All I had to go on was movies. I mean I really was unsure of what I was doing."  
"Well you're good at that." She complimented. "I mean you left me reeling."

James burst out laughing. "Well I do what I can."

* * *

Bruce Wayne opened his eyes. He looked around his bed and saw Barbara sleeping peacefully next to him.  
_"Not yet." He thought. "Soon Barbara."  
_He smiled at the beautiful figure next to him, and got out of bed.  
_"Amazing what cuddling can be good for you." He thought._

**Bruce's voice: No matter how much you doubt your own choices in life, it's never wrong to second-guess yourself. Yet it's always important to look ahead, and make the important decisions in your life with careful thinking and acknowledgement to your loved ones, for they will very likely be affected by the choices you make.**

Bruce looked at his monitor in the Batcave, and saw the Joker and Harley Quinn had broken out of Arkham. Quickly, he started suiting up, and noticed Barbara had already woken up.  
"Trouble?"  
He nodded.

**James's voice: Despite the many trials and tribulations that may come at you and hamper your progress through life, it's always important to tackle them head on and always try to find a solution to them. In the crime-fighting life, I've learned to pull out all the stops to keep my loved ones safe, and by keeping them safe, it is a step in the right direction for myself as I build a new life.**

_At the Botanical Gardens…  
_"Look Pam, there's something I need to tell you." James started.  
"What is it James?" She asked.  
"When I was fighting Nero that night, a lot of what he said about me is true." He said.  
"What!? No! He's wrong!" Pam protested. "He was just trying to shake your confidence and beat you! You've proven that you're stronger than him!"

"That's not the point Pam." He said. "Nero told me this: **'****_just because you have the energy of a superhero, doesn't make you one. It just makes you a pretender. You see, I'm a true villain by the stereotype, because I am an extraordinary being. You're just a human with heightened senses and stronger energy. You may rank above normal humans, but you would be the weakest of the superheroes we know. Superman could kill you with a finger. Batman's intellect is superior to you. He's also trained with the best, and learned the best. You've done nothing!'_****"**

"But that's not—"

"Listen." James interrupted. "I really am a pretender. This Solarium makes me stronger, not smarter. I need to gain the intelligence of a real crime-fighter, not just the brawn. What Batman did was learn about the crime world and understand it from the inside. He learned his moves from the best, and that's what I need to do. I may not take the same path he did, but as long as I can obtain the knowledge that he did, then I can put this nagging feeling to rest."

Pam looked at him, saying nothing. James did make a lot of good points.  
"If you're going on a journey, you're not going alone." She said.  
His eyes widened. "Wait what?"  
"I'm going with you." She said. "You're not leaving me behind here for me to just grow my plants. I'm technically not a villain anymore. I need something to do right?"  
James laughed. "I guess so. Then it's settled! We set off—"  
"Ah ah no. _I_ am going to tell us when we leave." She interrupted. "Friday, how about that?"  
"Three days? Okay." He agreed.

* * *

"Let's go." Batman called to Robin and Batgirl.  
The three heroes ran to the Batmobile and took off.  
"James, are you there?" Batman radioed.

* * *

_Back at Botanical Gardens…  
_  
"James." Alcor's voice spoke in his mind. "Batman is radioing in, the Joker has escaped."  
"Got it." He replied, turning to his companion. "Pam, trouble in Gotham."  
"Go get em'." She encouraged, giving him a kiss on the cheek.  
Smiling, the Valiant Warrior flew off into the night, ready to tackle the next challenge in his youth. But now, he won't be alone any longer.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Epilogue

"Hiyahh!" Valiant Warrior yelled, kicking the Riddler in the jaw, knocking him out.  
Batman, Batgirl, Robin, and Valiant were fighting outside the Gotham Bank trying to stop a break in from a combined effort of Joker, Harley Quinn and the Riddler.  
"Yaa!" Batgirl yelled behind him, unleashing a tornado kick at Harley Quinn, with the same result.  
Batman jumped over the Joker and threw him into a wall.  
"Aieeee!" He cried out.  
Robin bat-lassoed three thugs trying to escape, and then leaped to Batman's side.  
"Is that all of them?" Batgirl asked.  
"Yes, that's the last of them." Batman said. "Let's get them out of here."  
At that moment, Commissioner Gordon and some policemen arrived where they quickly arrested the three villains.

"Another good job Batman, Batgirl." Gordon commented.  
"Hey what about me!?" Robin pouted.  
He chuckled. "You too Robin."  
Gordon then turned to Valiant.  
"I'd like to congratulate you on helping this city with Batman."  
Valiant smiled. "Thanks, helping the people of Gotham has become a goal of mine too."  
"Good to hear." He nodded. "Keep it up."  
He turned and returned to his squad car with the other policemen. After they drove off, Valiant turned to Batman.  
"So is it official?" He asked. "You and Batgirl?"  
Batgirl blushed, and intervened.  
"Hey hey, are you really gonna ask that now?"

"Yes I am." Valiant/James stood in front of Batman/Bruce.  
"Is this true?" He asked again.  
Bruce looked down at him, and a small smile appeared on his face.  
"Well that's great!" James beamed. "Glad to hear it!"  
"Ew, gross." Robin/Tim muttered. Prompting James to look at him.  
"Trust me Robin." James said. "You'll love this when you're older."  
"Well I'm not right now. Come on." He quipped.  
James laughed. _"You will."_

"So when are you leaving James?" Barbara asked.  
"Tomorrow, with Pam." He replied. "We're going to Japan first. Alcor and I researched martial arts teachers and found two masters in Japan and China. Then we'll travel to India for meditation. After that, we'll be heading to Russia. We also found a mentor there.

"Why Russia?" Tim asked quizzically.  
"Russian winter." Bruce said. "They tend to have some of the most brutal winters in the world. Good for endurance."  
"Wow, looks like a rough journey for you two!" Barbara quipped.  
James shrugged, unfazed. "No pain no gain. We added Russia for that very reason. Beating the best means becoming the best."  
"Theoretically at least." Bruce added.

Everyone laughed.

* * *

James returned to his apartment and started packing up shirts, pants, boxers, shoes, and other needs for his trip.  
_"Three full weeks." He thought_. _"I haven't been away from home in years…"  
_He looked at his suitcase. This would be the first time that he'd be going away from home without his family.  
_"Like a vacation…" he thought.  
_James's heart suddenly sank. He realized he had forgotten something.  
_"Oh shit! I didn't tell my mom or dad I was leaving!" he thought unhappily. _"_Now how am I gonna explain this…?"  
_He thought he had everything planned out; plane tickets, hotel rooms, food, etc. Bruce is actually paying for the trip. Despite my protests, he insisted that I hit no roadblocks while over there. And/or we get stuck in a foreign country with no way to get home. Then again, maybe I shouldn't complain.

But now his parents were in the dark. He would have to explain why he's leaving the country for two weeks after almost being killed by his other half, his girlfriend is a bit older then him, and he's already lost his virginity to her.  
"Maybe I'll just leave them in the dark…" James muttered aloud.  
"Leave who in the dark?" Pam's voice sounded.  
He whipped around, and saw Pam standing in his doorway holding her suitcase.

"Pam!" He exclaimed. "What're you doing here? I thought we were gonna meet later?"  
She laid her suitcase next to his bed and sat next to him.  
"Well after I had tended my plants today I really had a free day." Pam said. "Usually I'm robbing a bank or a jewelry store right now."  
James laughed. "True, you need to get a job."  
She nudged him. "Yes I know. I'm thinking of finding my old job again."  
"Oh yeah, weren't you a professor teaching rare and exotic plants or something?"  
"Indeed I was." Pam replied. "But I'll worry about that later. For now…"

She suddenly grabbed James and threw him on the bed.  
"Whoa!" he gasped as Pam jumped on him and started necking him.  
Groaning and moaning, he melted into her soft lips touching his neck.  
"Hey hey! Close the door!" He laughed.  
Giggling, she quickly slammed the door shut and jumped back on top of him.  
"Hey there handsome…" She said coyly.  
"Why hello there sexy…" He replied in the same manner.  
"And before you ask, I'm a botanist. So birth control is child's play for me."  
He shook his head smiling, and enveloped her lips with his.

* * *

**_The next day….  
_****Time: 10:40 p.m.  
Location: Gotham Airport**

James and Pam made their way through immigration and customs before settling on waiting for their flight to be called. They had an 11:00 p.m. flight scheduled to land in China. It was a 13 hour 30 minute flight, a long one; arrival time around 12:30 p.m.

When they settled on waiting to be boarded, they saw Bruce, Barbara, and Tim waiting there.  
"Hey guys!" Barbara called. "We came to see you off!"  
"Two weeks huh?" Tim asked.  
"Hey!" James called. "Glad to see you guys!"  
He looked up at Bruce.  
"Look Bruce—"  
He held up a hand to silence him.  
"I'll go first." Bruce said.

James nodded.

"First of all James." He started. "Thanks for helping us. You really saved us that day. We would've been sunk without you. I owe you personally for saving my life and everyone else's that day. But James, you must know: Even though you feel guilty, you shouldn't. The damage your other half caused was not your fault. You were still learning your powers and anything could have happened. Now when you go with Pam across the world to learn, don't let Nero's words burden you and weigh you down. Rather, use that to push yourself forward and stay strong. Don't let anyone tell you wrong, for you're a smart kid. Go for it."

A small smile spread onto his face. Leaving James speechless for a moment. What could he saw now? Bruce had already said everything needed.  
"Thank you Bruce." He replied. "That means a lot to me. There's still so much I need to learn. And with these new abilities, comes more challenges. But I know I can make it. With Pam here…"  
He looked at her and smiled. She smiled back and took his hand in hers.  
"I know I can and will succeed. And don't worry Bruce, I won't let what he said control me. Instead, I'll show him that I'm better than ever!"  
"Awww!" Barbara threw her arms around James and hugged him tight.  
"Ack! Barbara…!" He coughed, nearly choking to death.

_"__**Attention please, flight 355 to Beijing will be departing in 10 minutes, please report to gate 10 to be boarded."**_

She released him. "That's you guys!"  
"Yes." Pam said. "Are you ready James?"  
He looked at her and smiled.  
"Yeah I am!" He said excitedly. "Let's go!"  
So the couple turned and started walking towards the gate.  
"Goodbye you guys!" He called out. "I'll see you in three weeks!"  
They waved back and called out their goodbyes as they disappeared into the gate.  
James and Pam took their seats in first class (thanks to Bruce) and sat down.  
"I'm nervous…" He said.  
She chuckled. "Nervous or excited?"  
"Both."  
She put her hand over his.  
"I'm here."  
"I love you."  
"I love you too."

She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.  
"Goodnight James."  
"Goodnight Pam."

As the plane took off, he looked out his window as he saw the lights of Gotham City disappear. From this point on, a new journey is set, and with Pam at his side, he felt ready for anything. Now, with new goals ahead of him, it is the beginnings for the Legacy of the Dark Knight.

**The End **

**Oh finally! This fic is complete! I apologize greatly for taking so long in between chapters, but I'm on break now so more fics will fly out soon!**


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